After years of championing open-border rhetoric and dismissing concerns over illegal immigration, it seems Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has finally stumbled onto a little commonsense. In a rare agreement with conservatives, Sanders admitted what millions of Americans have been saying, and that is that a country cannot exist without borders. In a stunning shift from a man who has built his political brand parroting progressive talking points, Sanders finally acknowledged that Democrats have been wrong regarding the issue.
During an interview with CNN, Sanders acknowledged the importance of border enforcement and criticized Democrats for not doing a good enough job.
"You don‘t have a country without borders. If you have borders, you should enforce that border. Democrats have not done as good a job as they should. Period. End of discussion. That‘s correct," he said.
However, at the same time, Sanders emphasized the reality that millions of illegal immigrants are already living in the U.S. who have been part of the country for years, arguing that there needs to be a balance of enforcement with so-called practical immigration policies.
"But I will tell you something else. In this country right now, you have millions and millions of people who came from Latin America or wherever, who are working in meatpacking plants. They‘re harvesting crops. They‘ve been in this country for years," he continued.
Sanders called for a comprehensive immigration reform, claiming that both Democrats and Republicans have failed to deliver it for years. He warned against President Donald Trump's mass deportations, arguing that it would devastate key sectors like agriculture and elder care.
"They‘re law abiding. They are paying taxes, and they are doing some of the most dangerous, underpaid work in America. So we have to deal with immigration broadly, with comprehensive immigration reform. We have failed in that. Democrats Republicans have failed in that for many, many years. We need right now to come up with some way to protect these workers who are maintaining the economy. Trump wants to throw them all out. Fine. The price of food will double or triple. God knows what will happen to nursing homes in this country," he said.
Sen. Bernie Sanders: “You don‘t have a country without borders. If you have borders, you should enforce that border. Democrats have not done as good a job as they should. Period. End of discussion. That‘s correct. But I will tell you something else. In this country right now, you… pic.twitter.com/6SUHnqN7p5
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) July 12, 2025
President Trump recently announced a plan to let illegal immigrants work for farmers in the United States.
Trump has proposed a “temporary pass” program aimed at allowing undocumented farm workers to stay and work legally in the U.S., provided their employer backs them, pays taxes, and keeps a clean record. Under the plan, these workers could also choose to voluntarily leave the country and re-enter through legal channels, such as the H‑2A visa program or a newly created temporary visa, using support letters from their employers to facilitate the process.