2020 presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar once called for the United States to restore “order at the border” by building a fence and cracking down on companies who hire illegal immigrants, according to a recently unearthed 2006 video.
“I do believe that we need more resources at the border, and that includes a fence,” Klobuchar said during a 2006 debate. “We have people waiting to come in legally, thousands of people waiting to come in legally to this country, and we have people coming in illegally — that’s not right.”
“We need to get order at the border,” she continued.
Klobuchar did express support for amnesty in the clip by offering a path to citizenship for people currently in the country illegally, but she also included the caveat that those potential citizens must learn English first.
“Finally, I believe we need to give people who have been in this country for a number of years, who are willing to pay their taxes, who are willing to learn English, who are willing to pay the fines the chance for earned citizenship,” the Minnesota senator said.
Here’s Amy Klobuchar in 2006 talking taking a hardline stance on immigration, supporting a border fence and even criticizing the Bush administration for not cracking down on companies hiring illegal immigrants.
“We need to get order at the border.” pic.twitter.com/bJcsfCQlON
— Walker Bragman (@WalkerBragman) February 12, 2020
Klobuchar’s campaign now says that the senator opposes Trump’s border wall.
“Sen. Klobuchar strongly opposes President Trump’s border wall as well as diverting military funds for its construction,” a campaign spokesperson told Fox News. “She supports paying for border security as part of comprehensive immigration reform, and she believes that comprehensive reforms and implementing a policy to allow asylum seekers from the Northern Triangle countries to seek asylum in their home countries could result in a decrease in some of the funding necessary for the border.”
Klobuchar has said during the 2020 campaign that she now only supports E-Verify, a web-based system allowing employers to check the eligibility of employees, if it is part of a compromise to award amnesty to people here illegally.
