Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) surprised many on the left after admitting that former President Joe Biden failed to secure the U.S. border.
In a blunt interview on “The Tim Dillon Show,” the Vermont independent said President Donald Trump’s approach to border security was stronger than Biden’s.
Sanders said that maintaining border security is a basic function of any nation and that failing to do so weakens national identity.
“So long as we have nation-states, you’ve got to have borders,” Sanders told Dillon. “If you don’t have any borders, then you don’t have a nation.”
The senator, who was promoting his new book Fight Oligarchy, acknowledged that Trump “did a better job” on immigration enforcement.
“I don’t like Trump, you know, but we should have a secure border and it ain’t that hard to do,” he said.
Sanders didn’t hold back in his criticism of Biden. “Biden didn’t do it,” he admitted. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you that overall Biden did a good job — it was not.”
The comments marked a significant departure from Sanders’ past rhetoric on immigration. During his 2020 presidential run, he dismissed talk of a border crisis as a Republican talking point meant to demonize immigrants.
In a 2019 interview, he accused conservatives of creating “artificial crises” to stir fear, Trending Politics reported.
During a Fox News town hall in 2020, Sanders went further, calling border restrictions “xenophobic” and rejecting Trump’s policies as “cruel.”
Like most progressives, Sanders once supported sweeping immigration reform, including work permits and pathways to citizenship for millions of illegal aliens.
But on Dillon’s show, Sanders said the U.S. already has the “technology and manpower” to secure the border. He argued that both parties have failed to enforce existing laws.
His remarks come as the country continues to face record levels of illegal immigration. Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows nearly 2.47 million migrant encounters in fiscal year 2023 — a massive increase from the roughly 458,000 recorded during Trump’s final full year in office.
The rise in illegal crossings has fueled frustration nationwide, with local officials in border states calling for stronger federal action.
Under the Biden Administration, millions of illegal aliens were released into the U.S. interior under Department of Homeland Security “catch and release” policies.
By contrast, since Trump’s return to the White House, federal officials say no illegal aliens have been released for months — a reversal that reflects the administration’s zero-tolerance stance on unlawful entry.
Sanders’ unexpected remarks show how deeply divided the Democratic Party has become over immigration. His admission that Trump “did a better job” highlights the growing dissatisfaction among voters who believe border security should come before politics.
