Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » Bernie Sanders and JB Pritzker praise Trump’s border success: ‘You don’t have a country if you don’t have borders’
Sen. Bernie Sanders broke with much of his party in a recent podcast appearance, praising President Donald Trump’s border policy while criticizing President Biden’s handling of immigration.
“So long as we have nation-states, you’ve got to have borders,” Sanders said. “If you don’t have any borders, then you don’t have a nation.”
He went on to argue that securing the U.S. border “ain’t that hard to do,” and declared that “Trump did a better job. I don’t like Trump, you know, but we should have a secure border Biden didn’t do it.”
If you don’t have any borders, then you don’t have a nation, right? In a sense. So has historically, the United States done well on the Democrats and Republicans protecting the border? The answer is no. Trump did a better job. I don’t like Trump. You know, we should have a secure border, and it ain’t that hard to do. Biden didn’t do it. Those before him did not do it. We should have a secure border period.
Bret Baier: What’s the best thing that President Trump has done since being in office?
Pritzker: Well, that’s a good question. I think. Look, one thing I can say is that I asked President Biden, and wrote a very public letter, to deal with some of the problems at the border. We were seeing tens of thousands of people being sent by Governor Abbott to Chicago, and we weren’t getting any help, really, from the federal government.
Here’s what I would say, since President Trump has taken office, we don’t have the problem that existed before with people coming across the board. What I would suggest, though, is there’s one more thing he could have done. He took control of the Congress. He’s got control of the judiciary. He’s got control of the White House. [cross talk] Let’s let’s just say this. He could have proposed comprehensive immigration reform and gotten it passed. He could have done that. He hasn’t done that. Why? Why does he want to send troops in? Why does he want to send ice and CDP in? Why not get immigration reform in place that we can all rally around? Look, I like that. We have borders. We need borders, right? You don’t have a country if you don’t have borders. But let’s deal with immigration with an actual bill that Democrats and Republicans can rally around. We’ve seen it before. It’s been done before, but it’s been 40 years. Let’s finally do it.
* Meanwhile, speaking of Pritzker agreeing with Trump…
Mayor Brandon Johnson urged Gov. JB Pritzker Friday to weigh allowing Chicago public school students to learn from home because ICE agents are arresting parents and students on their way to and from schools.
Pritzker later took a dim view of the idea, saying kids belong in classrooms and pointing to ways schools and residents have already taken steps to protect students and their parents from federal immigration raids. […]
“Remember, very importantly, I think one thing we learned during COVID is that remote learning really has a deleterious effect on kids’ ability to get the kind of education they need. So we’re going to do everything we can to keep kids in school, where they are safer.”
The stepped up ICE activity on the North Side disrupting the school day at Burr Elementary and other schools as multiple arrests played out on nearby streets.
CPS parents and 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack confirmed a handful of schools in the Bucktown-Wicker Park area were placed on soft lockdown. That meant no outdoor recess, in response to ICE arrests in the neighborhood.
“The kids aren’t playing outside because there’s been a huge amount of ICE presence in the neighborhood, just driving up and down the streets, just kind of terrorizing the neighborhood,” CPS parent Nicole Van Haperbeke said. “Why? It’s a peaceful, beautiful Friday.”
Maria Heavener had opened the windows of her first-grade classroom to let in the unusually warm October breeze when the sound of helicopters, sirens, and a flood of notifications compelled her to slam them shut. During a raid on a nearby grocery store, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had hurled tear gas canisters into a parking lot across the street from Chicago’s Funston Elementary School, spreading a thick, choking smog toward the building while class was in session.
Politicians are going to pander, whatever. If we hired enough judges to process asylum claims in a month instead of multiple years, people would only come if they think they have a good chance of staying. That’s a better way to solve it than slamming the door in everyone’s face.
Opening up more legal paths to immigration would also help. You want to control the inflow, fine, build the process then. And it’s just a fact that immigration is good! More Americans is good! More workers and consumers is good!
You don’t want large numbers of migrants that exist in limbo while their cases are heard, taking up resources, fine. There are so many ways to handle that, that are better for America and better for migrants.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 8:50 am:
People do not want to come to the USA if they think they will be brutalized when they get here. That is why there are less border crossings. It ain’t rocket science, and it is not really something to praise.
- Charles Edward Cheese - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 8:54 am:
I feel like this blurb about Bernie’s border quotes/stance is a little disingenuous without further explanation. Bernie’s motivations and ethos have always been labor centric, so he often generally leans on the side of “strong” borders with the perspective that an unempathetic, unstructured, permeable border is cruel to those seeking refuge because it forces them to accept dangerous conditions and renders these people vulnerable to a punishing/abusive/exploitative and unregulated labor system, and cruel from the perspective that it allows the millionaire/billionaire class to subjugate these desperate people into horrific labor conditions and low wages.
This isn’t the sudden “heel turn” that snippet is trying to make it out to be.
Both parties have screwed up immigration. People want to come here, and there is important work for them to do, from cleaning houses to running Fortune 500 companies. But no one wants to create a pathway or a process that reflects reality, so we have open borders (bad idea) on one end and closing the borders to anyone but “heritage Americans” (bad idea) on the other.
- This isn’t the sudden “heel turn” that snippet is trying to make it out to be. -
Correct, Bernie has been very consistent about this during his career. Anyone defending Biden’s record on immigration is delusional, Pritzker is right to call him out on it.
I am not an “open borders” proponent, if that means open borders in the literal sense. I think every country has a right to control their borders as they see fit.
Beyond that, I am in total agreement with what @Perrod posted. We need more not fewer judges and a better process for becoming a US citizen. My wife is a first generation American and a dual citizen. The process for her parents to become citizens was long and expensive. Too long and expensive if you ask me. Up until a few years ago we embraced our melting pot culture and believed in the Statue of Liberty and the words written at her feet.
I second your thoughts. Is is possible at the state level to create the sort of legal system (e.g., more judges and sufficient well trained and eager lawyers) to enhance the functionality of the current system? The federal system is too much at the mercy of the executive and legislative, currently.
== This isn’t the sudden “heel turn” that snippet is trying to make it out to be. ==
I disagree. Take a look at Bernie’s platform in 2020. What he said last week is a lot different. He’s pretty savvy, this isn’t the first time he’s recalibrated his message. Americans don’t like the way Trump is handling immigration right now, but they still want secure borders and a functioning, due-process driven asylum and deportation process. Bernie sees that. And if the rest of the Democratic Party is gonna have any success the next few years, they better see it too.
There wouldn’t be a need for “authoritarian crack down” of immigration violations if the previous administration hadn’t disregarded Pritzker’s pleas regarding the border.
Common sense to me. Change the laws, don’t flagrantly violate them and then gaslight those that want them followed.
=Why not get immigration reform in place that we can all rally around?=
Throw away statement because the divide on some of the issues involved are quite deep. Yes, we might be able to agree on work visas for the highly trained as well as non-skill jobs. But even that has difficulties labor markets can change quite rapidly. Maybe a definitive process on how to handle asylum seekers. Perhaps an immigration policy that defines the type of new immigrants the nation really needs to better itself.
But the numbers involved in each of these scenarios is the sticking point. And the final rabbit hole is comprehensive amnesty. We had it in 1986 and now it is being called for again. That is a huge problem.
===There wouldn’t be a need for “authoritarian crack down”===
Blatantly violating constitutional rights is never “needed.”
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 12:27 pm:
It seems like some out-of-touch consultant is trying to make this a way to triangulate Trump. How about acknowledging that the last 40 years have been pretty bad for people without a college degree instead?
=Making America toxic to anyone wanting to come here, thereby reducing immigrant numbers,=
Any evidence that your statement is correct and that millions and millions would not like to come here?
- here we go again - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 1:16 pm:
America continues to legally grant citizenship to around 1 million immigrants each year. We remain the most generous and welcoming country on earth, by far. So how many foreign nationals should be allowed to come and stay illegally? I ask because there are at least a billion people in the world who would love to live here. That’s understandable but why should people who violate our immigration laws be allowed to cut the line? Yes the current crackdown may mean fewer foreign nationals to illegally exploit for their cheap labor. Get over it. And stop violently assaulting law enforcement officers and obstructing justice and they won’t feel the need to tear gas you to protect themselves. Pretty simple.
==We had it in 1986 and now it is being called for again. That is a huge problem.==
So Reagan was wrong? This ‘problem’ you’re describing was egged on by 2024 candidate DJT.=
So you think Reagan, after signing one amnesty bill for 2.8 million people would, if reincarnated as President, would then sign another amnesty for millions more? What specifically do you base that thinking upon.
=== There wouldn’t be a need for “authoritarian crack down” of immigration violations if the previous administration ===
This is a straw horse argument if you only consider the number of immigrants and undocumented immigrants over time. The data discount the idea that one administration caused unmanageable numbers of immigrants.
-H-W Thanks–it’s more stable since 2005 than anything. The media coverage treating it as a crisis has always been incorrect though there has been an upturn after 2021 due to Covid restrictions being reduced.
One of the most important aspects of that article is this
“The label “unauthorized immigrants” captures a complex array of statuses, including immigrants who entered the U.S. legally. While the label is not perfect, it groups together immigrants living in the country with impermanent, precarious statuses. The term has been used for decades by researchers who develop estimates of the population and is generally used in this report.”
So many have some combination of entered legally, have legal statuses like TPS, or are just here with no status. It’s a lot more complicated than people understand and the biggest thing we could do to reduce the numbers is hire immigration judges. This admin fired a bunch.
=And stop violently assaulting law enforcement officers and obstructing justice and they won’t feel the need to tear gas you to protect themselves.=
A preponderance of video evidence and at least one court order would indicate that the purveyors of violent assaults are the masked and undertrained ICE and CBP. Some seemingly take great glee in shooting peaceful people in the head with pepper balls or pointing guns in people’s faces.
Would love to hear what specific aspect of POTUS’ border policy has been so great it was worth praising him over?
The list of his border actions, starting with his “anti-invasion” EOs on J20 ranges from mediocre to foolish to immoral to illegal.
It was a bad answer but also incomplete.
And he easily could have politely rejected the premise that he had to praise POTUS rather than 700k+ other federal employees who, unlike him, ARE working and AREN’T getting paid right now
Bernie and a broken clock are correct some of the time. meanwhile he’s repping for Mamdani so I listen to none of what he says. look at facts. the border under Biden was a mess. Trump changed that. does not mean Trump is handling the immigration issue better. he’s just handling the border better, the most visible aspect of immigration cause it was for so long a thousands of people disaster. the show up and throw tear gas or smoke bomb crowd is telling us nothing about the criminals they apprehend (if that is what is happening). we are left with no real idea of what is going on. the chaos has shifted from the border to our streets. it’s a different kind of mismanagement.
Perrid and Charles Edward Cheese are both spot on. It’s just a fact that Biden was slow to act on immigration and even when he did it wasn’t nearly enough and that’s done immense damage to the Democrats credibility on the issue when it used to arguably be one of their strongest.
Also Bernie has always been consistent on this issue. He was perhaps ineloquent here but he views the issue, like most, from the frame of economic exploitation
- Perrid - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 8:35 am:
Politicians are going to pander, whatever. If we hired enough judges to process asylum claims in a month instead of multiple years, people would only come if they think they have a good chance of staying. That’s a better way to solve it than slamming the door in everyone’s face.
Opening up more legal paths to immigration would also help. You want to control the inflow, fine, build the process then. And it’s just a fact that immigration is good! More Americans is good! More workers and consumers is good!
You don’t want large numbers of migrants that exist in limbo while their cases are heard, taking up resources, fine. There are so many ways to handle that, that are better for America and better for migrants.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 8:50 am:
People do not want to come to the USA if they think they will be brutalized when they get here. That is why there are less border crossings. It ain’t rocket science, and it is not really something to praise.
- Charles Edward Cheese - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 8:54 am:
I feel like this blurb about Bernie’s border quotes/stance is a little disingenuous without further explanation. Bernie’s motivations and ethos have always been labor centric, so he often generally leans on the side of “strong” borders with the perspective that an unempathetic, unstructured, permeable border is cruel to those seeking refuge because it forces them to accept dangerous conditions and renders these people vulnerable to a punishing/abusive/exploitative and unregulated labor system, and cruel from the perspective that it allows the millionaire/billionaire class to subjugate these desperate people into horrific labor conditions and low wages.
This isn’t the sudden “heel turn” that snippet is trying to make it out to be.
- Formerly Unemployed - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 9:32 am:
Both parties have screwed up immigration. People want to come here, and there is important work for them to do, from cleaning houses to running Fortune 500 companies. But no one wants to create a pathway or a process that reflects reality, so we have open borders (bad idea) on one end and closing the borders to anyone but “heritage Americans” (bad idea) on the other.
- Excitable Boy - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 10:28 am:
- This isn’t the sudden “heel turn” that snippet is trying to make it out to be. -
Correct, Bernie has been very consistent about this during his career. Anyone defending Biden’s record on immigration is delusional, Pritzker is right to call him out on it.
- JS Mill - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 10:31 am:
I am not an “open borders” proponent, if that means open borders in the literal sense. I think every country has a right to control their borders as they see fit.
Beyond that, I am in total agreement with what @Perrod posted. We need more not fewer judges and a better process for becoming a US citizen. My wife is a first generation American and a dual citizen. The process for her parents to become citizens was long and expensive. Too long and expensive if you ask me. Up until a few years ago we embraced our melting pot culture and believed in the Statue of Liberty and the words written at her feet.
- H-W - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 10:46 am:
@ Perrid and JS Mill
I second your thoughts. Is is possible at the state level to create the sort of legal system (e.g., more judges and sufficient well trained and eager lawyers) to enhance the functionality of the current system? The federal system is too much at the mercy of the executive and legislative, currently.
- Anon404 - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 11:21 am:
== This isn’t the sudden “heel turn” that snippet is trying to make it out to be. ==
I disagree. Take a look at Bernie’s platform in 2020. What he said last week is a lot different. He’s pretty savvy, this isn’t the first time he’s recalibrated his message. Americans don’t like the way Trump is handling immigration right now, but they still want secure borders and a functioning, due-process driven asylum and deportation process. Bernie sees that. And if the rest of the Democratic Party is gonna have any success the next few years, they better see it too.
- 40,000 ft - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 11:35 am:
unpopular, but moderate opinion…
There wouldn’t be a need for “authoritarian crack down” of immigration violations if the previous administration hadn’t disregarded Pritzker’s pleas regarding the border.
Common sense to me. Change the laws, don’t flagrantly violate them and then gaslight those that want them followed.
- Mason County - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 12:01 pm:
=Why not get immigration reform in place that we can all rally around?=
Throw away statement because the divide on some of the issues involved are quite deep. Yes, we might be able to agree on work visas for the highly trained as well as non-skill jobs. But even that has difficulties labor markets can change quite rapidly. Maybe a definitive process on how to handle asylum seekers. Perhaps an immigration policy that defines the type of new immigrants the nation really needs to better itself.
But the numbers involved in each of these scenarios is the sticking point. And the final rabbit hole is comprehensive amnesty. We had it in 1986 and now it is being called for again. That is a huge problem.
- JS Mill - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 12:05 pm:
@H-W- I think federal law would not allow the system you suggest.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 12:09 pm:
===There wouldn’t be a need for “authoritarian crack down”===
Blatantly violating constitutional rights is never “needed.”
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 12:27 pm:
It seems like some out-of-touch consultant is trying to make this a way to triangulate Trump. How about acknowledging that the last 40 years have been pretty bad for people without a college degree instead?
- Jocko - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 12:31 pm:
==We had it in 1986 and now it is being called for again. That is a huge problem.==
So Reagan was wrong? This ‘problem’ you’re describing was egged on by 2024 candidate DJT.
- Jibba - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 12:51 pm:
Making America toxic to anyone wanting to come here, thereby reducing immigrant numbers, is not exactly the flex Trump thinks it is.
- Mason County - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 1:16 pm:
=Making America toxic to anyone wanting to come here, thereby reducing immigrant numbers,=
Any evidence that your statement is correct and that millions and millions would not like to come here?
- here we go again - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 1:16 pm:
America continues to legally grant citizenship to around 1 million immigrants each year. We remain the most generous and welcoming country on earth, by far. So how many foreign nationals should be allowed to come and stay illegally? I ask because there are at least a billion people in the world who would love to live here. That’s understandable but why should people who violate our immigration laws be allowed to cut the line? Yes the current crackdown may mean fewer foreign nationals to illegally exploit for their cheap labor. Get over it. And stop violently assaulting law enforcement officers and obstructing justice and they won’t feel the need to tear gas you to protect themselves. Pretty simple.
- Mason County - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 1:46 pm:
= Jocko - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 12:31 pm:
==We had it in 1986 and now it is being called for again. That is a huge problem.==
So Reagan was wrong? This ‘problem’ you’re describing was egged on by 2024 candidate DJT.=
So you think Reagan, after signing one amnesty bill for 2.8 million people would, if reincarnated as President, would then sign another amnesty for millions more? What specifically do you base that thinking upon.
- H-W - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 2:17 pm:
=== There wouldn’t be a need for “authoritarian crack down” of immigration violations if the previous administration ===
This is a straw horse argument if you only consider the number of immigrants and undocumented immigrants over time. The data discount the idea that one administration caused unmanageable numbers of immigrants.
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/07/22/what-we-know-about-unauthorized-immigrants-living-in-the-us/
- Mason County - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 3:07 pm:
=The data discount the idea that one administration caused unmanageable numbers of immigrants.=
Absolutely correct. No one administration allowed this. Allowed by different administrations of both political parties.
- Archpundit - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 3:10 pm:
-H-W Thanks–it’s more stable since 2005 than anything. The media coverage treating it as a crisis has always been incorrect though there has been an upturn after 2021 due to Covid restrictions being reduced.
One of the most important aspects of that article is this
“The label “unauthorized immigrants” captures a complex array of statuses, including immigrants who entered the U.S. legally. While the label is not perfect, it groups together immigrants living in the country with impermanent, precarious statuses. The term has been used for decades by researchers who develop estimates of the population and is generally used in this report.”
So many have some combination of entered legally, have legal statuses like TPS, or are just here with no status. It’s a lot more complicated than people understand and the biggest thing we could do to reduce the numbers is hire immigration judges. This admin fired a bunch.
- JS Mill - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 3:31 pm:
=And stop violently assaulting law enforcement officers and obstructing justice and they won’t feel the need to tear gas you to protect themselves.=
A preponderance of video evidence and at least one court order would indicate that the purveyors of violent assaults are the masked and undertrained ICE and CBP. Some seemingly take great glee in shooting peaceful people in the head with pepper balls or pointing guns in people’s faces.
Pretty simple really.
- Stephanie Kollmann - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 4:20 pm:
Would love to hear what specific aspect of POTUS’ border policy has been so great it was worth praising him over?
The list of his border actions, starting with his “anti-invasion” EOs on J20 ranges from mediocre to foolish to immoral to illegal.
It was a bad answer but also incomplete.
And he easily could have politely rejected the premise that he had to praise POTUS rather than 700k+ other federal employees who, unlike him, ARE working and AREN’T getting paid right now
- Amalia - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 4:41 pm:
Bernie and a broken clock are correct some of the time. meanwhile he’s repping for Mamdani so I listen to none of what he says. look at facts. the border under Biden was a mess. Trump changed that. does not mean Trump is handling the immigration issue better. he’s just handling the border better, the most visible aspect of immigration cause it was for so long a thousands of people disaster. the show up and throw tear gas or smoke bomb crowd is telling us nothing about the criminals they apprehend (if that is what is happening). we are left with no real idea of what is going on. the chaos has shifted from the border to our streets. it’s a different kind of mismanagement.
- SweetLou86 - Monday, Oct 27, 25 @ 8:28 pm:
Perrid and Charles Edward Cheese are both spot on. It’s just a fact that Biden was slow to act on immigration and even when he did it wasn’t nearly enough and that’s done immense damage to the Democrats credibility on the issue when it used to arguably be one of their strongest.
Also Bernie has always been consistent on this issue. He was perhaps ineloquent here but he views the issue, like most, from the frame of economic exploitation