Vice President Kamala Harris raised eyebrows in September when she told NBC host Chuck Todd that the border “is secure,” with critics pointing to the record number of illegal immigrants who have been coming into the country.
Republicans aren’t alone in shaking their heads. During a recent interview, Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly admitted that there are those within his party who remain clueless about the situation.
“There are a lot of Democrats who don’t understand our southern border”
According to the Daily Wire, Kelly told the Washington Post on Monday that some Democrats are “not even close” to understanding “the complexity of the issue and the frustrations that people have.”
“When I first got to Washington, it didn’t take me long to realize that there are a lot of Democrats who don’t understand our southern border and a lot of Republicans who just want to talk about it,” he said.
“So my approach has been — to the extent that we could and can — to make progress on securing it, but also doing it in a way that’s in accordance with our ethics and our values, not to demonize people,” Kelly added.
This is welcome news. DACA needs to be protected. But it doesn’t change the fact that Congress must act to provide Dreamers with the certainty of a clear pathway to citizenship.https://t.co/3v4ISqTJ14
— Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) September 27, 2021
The Daily Wire noted that Kelly has taken a relatively moderate position on illegal immigration compared with those held by some of his Democratic colleagues.
Kelly supports DACA while also demanding higher pay for Border Patrol
In a September of 2021 tweet, the Arizona Democrat expressed support for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a policy instituted under former President Barack Obama which allowed some illegal immigrants to remain in the United States.
What’s more, Kelly went on to demand that those who participated in the program (known as “Dreamers”) be given “a clear pathway to citizenship.”
However, Kelly also joined with Republicans in August of this year to support a bill that would increase pay for Border Patrol agents as well as create a 2,500-member border reserve force.
“Border Patrol agents put their lives on the line every day to secure the border and keep our communities safe,” the senator said in a press release put out by his office.
“Our bipartisan bill will give the hardworking men and women of the Border Patrol the support, resources, and pay raises they deserve,” he added.