2020 presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard called the characterization that some of her Democratic opponents are in favor of open borders “fair.”
The Hawaii congresswoman discussed the issue of immigration and borders during her interview with Dave Rubin on The Rubin Report, which aired this weekend.
Rubin asked, “So immigration, I think there’s a general sense that the candidates, the Democrats are basically trying to outdo each other for open borders, something like that. A) do you think that’s a fair way to start the question? And B) where do you sit on that?”
“I think it’s fair. I don’t — I don’t support open borders,” Gabbard answered. “Without secure borders, we don’t really have a country. And while some of the other Democratic candidates will say, ‘Well, that’s a conservative argument and that’s not really what’s being advocated for.’ If you look at the practical implications of some of the things they’re pushing for, it is essentially open borders.”
She went on, “I think there’s a few things we’ve got to do when we’re talking about immigration reform. One is that we’ve got to have secure borders. This is not Trump’s wall from sea to shining sea, it’s about seeing again what makes sense. I look at things from a practical, objective-oriented standpoint, I’m a soldier, so I look at what’s our objective.”
The issue of immigration and border security has taken center stage during the primary debates thus far. During the first debate in Miami in June, all 10 candidates during the second night raised their hands when asked if they believe that crossing the border “should be a civil offense, rather than a crime.” The question came after a similar was asked the night before.
During the second debate, which was last month, 2020 presidential front-runner Joe Biden was criticized by other candidates for the deportations that took place while he was the vice president.
[Read more: Tulsi Gabbard laments rivals speaking Spanish in debates and calls identity politics ‘a real danger’]
