Honest Assessment: Most See Dems As Open Borders Party

There was a time when Democrats at least pretended to be for border security. Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris all paid lip service to supporting a secure border at some point during their political careers. But the modern Democratic Party has thrown away any illusions of enforcing immigration law, as evidenced by the recent DHS shutdown, in which Democrats refused to fund homeland security unless ICE and Border Patrol were defunded or prevented from doing their job.

Democrats have now embraced all-out amnesty for illegal immigrants, and apparently everyone has noticed. A new Harvard/Harris poll finds 58% of Americans believe Democrats support open borders. That total includes a majority of Democrats (52%) and Independents (53%). That means even most Democrats now admit they are the party of open borders. "A lot of this mindset comes from the media narrative that if you shut down the borders you are stopping families from seeking a better life," says Art Del Cueto, former border patrol agent and advisor to FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform). "But that's not what it comes down to."

"When you advocate for open borders, you're not advocating for families trying to get a better life," he continues. "You're advocating for drugs in the United States, and you're advocating for the drug cartels to continue lining their pockets."

Del Cueto believes support of open borders will continue to be a losing issue for Democrats politically. Immigration was a key factor in Donald Trump's re-election in 2024, and it remains among the issues with Trump's highest approval. In fact, polls show most Americans now support deportation of illegal aliens, especially after the four-year open border crisis under the Biden administration.

"If you're gonna sit there and say I'm for open borders, you have no idea what magnet you're creating for criminals from around the world," says Del Cueto. "And what dangers you are going to put this country in, not just now, but in the future for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren."