Democratic Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard pushed back on the open borders position of some of her Democratic colleagues Thursday, saying that borders are important for the sovereignty of a country.
The long-shot 2020 presidential candidate told Breitbart News editor and chief Alex Marlow that she believes voters are being given a “false choice” on the issue of immigration less than a year out from the presidential election. (RELATED: The Four Ways Washington Can Fix America’s Immigration Crisis)
“I think that we can and we must have a secure border policy that’s actually effective and works and also reform our immigration system so that it works for our country can be a safe secure border along with the humane immigration policy and achieve both objectives,” Gabbard said.
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Several 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have proposed unprecedented immigration policies, including decriminalizing border crossings and tearing down existing border fencing, among others. (RELATED: Dick Durbin Stalls Landmark Immigration Bill, But Won’t Explain Why. Critics Say It’s To Keep Republicans From Getting A Win)
“I just I look at every issue whether it’s domestic policy or foreign policy based on what I believe is in the best interest of our country and based on the substance about the actual policy, not being so reactive to saying well I’ve got to be for this, because those guys are against that or whatever and and the same applies to immigration you know the reality is that we do not have a nation if we don’t have borders,” Gabbard said.
The Hawaii congresswoman has criticized her party’s left turn on immigration in the past, but her voting record shows that she’s consistently voted against border security and in favor of amnesty for illegal immigrants.