"If you open the borders, you have people from Vietnam, China, Mexico, and Latin America coming in"

[Tom Rinaldo]

32. No, it is ALL about "open borders", and not falling into the right wing's ambush

Last edited Tue Apr 9, 2019, 09:58 AM - Edit history (1)

Trump campaigns on accusing Democrats of supporting "Open Borders". What does "Open Borders" literally mean? In Trump world it literally means our borders should be unregulated and unprotected so that anyone who thinks they can do a little better living in America than they do in their country of origin can just stroll right across our border and set up residency here.

The Right points to the poverty that afflicts billions of people world wide and says, if Democrats get their way all of those people can and will try to make their way to America to steal American jobs and/or go on Welfare, by just waltzing across our border. THAT is how Republicans describe what Democrats stand for on immigration and refugees. It is nonsense of course but it has to be confronted head on and directly called out as nonsense.

Democrats stand for a fair and rational immigration policy that is welcoming to people of all races and nationalities and not slanted toward favoritism to those of certain ethnic and racial backgrounds only. Democrats proclaim the benefits of controlled immigration to our nation rather than describe is as a literal threat to our nation. Democrats also believe in our international obligation to offer refuge to those arriving at our nation fleeing war and persecution THAT is the Democratic position. We can not allow Republicans to brand Democrats opposition to Trump's immigration and refugee policies as "favoring open borders."

If that video in the OP is allowed to run a few seconds longer Sanders goes on to say:

"the strength of our nation is in fact the diversity and the new ideas that immigrants from all walks of life have given this country, so you need a rational non racist immigration policy which welcomes people in from all over the world to improve our economy, but clearly you can not have open borders."