John Fetterman Publicly Calls Out Own Party For Biden-Era Actions On The Border

Forbes Breaking News

At Thursday's Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) spoke frankly about the border, and asked witnesses about protections for DREAMers.

Transcript

00:00thank you mr. chairman I know it's like we all we all know what we all know what happened

00:10the new administration and they have a much much different kind of a view on immigration and the

00:20border and and I actually agree with with parts of it honestly I've I've said this publicly and

00:26I'll say this again I believe our party did not they didn't do a good job with the border you know

00:33and I was very clear on that and then also I actually I'd like to say that I was the the lead

00:43co-sponsor of the Lincoln bill there there's no two I believe I believe that that we can be very

00:50pro-immigration but we also have to have a very secure border and that puts me in a different

00:56play a different place now some some people didn't feel like I I honored honored the spirit

01:06of of immigration but I actually believe that I did and now today I'm going to continue that part

01:12of my conversation and my commitment and now and that is with DACA DACA okay now we can all agree

01:19with that uh now for for me now uh my my wife my wife was a former dreamer my wife was a former

01:26dreamer and now I wouldn't have the family that I have you know if it wasn't for her but you know

01:31she was brought to the country when she was seven years old and and of course um and now I know um

01:37miss Mr. Law I know we all have LexisNexis and we all know and I I know that you don't have a strong

01:43a strong opinion uh for for dreamers and DACA so I'm not going to turn it into gotcha theater

01:49because I really want to have like a sincere conversation here in our brief time we're here

01:54and now for example I I'm trying to understand why punishing dreamers that were brought here as

02:01children here in this country now why there's not a path for for uh citizenship why when they're

02:08making these kinds of important contributions here to our nation um and it's like can we only

02:14just be punitive and vengeful about immigration why we can't even acknowledge that that could be part

02:20of something very uh very a positive thing for our nation thank you for the question senator um thank

02:27you for your support of border security uh as well as the Lake and Riley Act uh and I'd also like to

02:31thank you for a leading role in combating anti-semitism that has um just exploded in in recent times

02:38um to this specific question of illegal aliens receiving a path to citizenship um that is solely

02:45the purview of congress um the most notable legislative um opportunity that I'm familiar with is known as

02:51the dream act um and it's my understanding that that bill has gone before the congress numerous times

02:57and every single time it has failed so so but but but personally any of you uh in front of us here

03:05today do any of you perhaps could consider or maybe uh support something like that that

03:11legislative uh solution for for dreamers

03:14well thank you for the question senator um i think it is the purview of of the lawmakers to

03:22pass legislation and present those to the president um and thus far it's been my understanding that

03:27that bill has failed to you know require to obtain the votes necessary to make it to the white house

03:33okay so so for me because it just continually just seems to it seems to like it's it's difficult

03:41to you know two things must be true a secure border but then now um and we also can celebrate

03:46immigration uh as well too and and now um for me you know we had we had a young person in Georgia

03:53uh himina himina and she was just pulled over and it was actually the wrong car um and she she of

04:00course she was a a dreamer um and and now she could be looking at a possible situation of being

04:05deported for for that she was brought here as a young young child i'm not really sure it's american to

04:11punish um a person who is living her best life and making significant contributions to our nation

04:18to be punished for a decision for a parent when they were five six seven eight years uh at that

04:25point and you know i don't believe that it's an american uh way to just put them in like a permanent

04:33kinds of purgity we're always worrying about looking over the shoulder that now the next single

04:38time then they could be deported um they are being paid for sins that they were not a part of that thing

04:44and i'm hopeful and i'm saying it now publicly today again you know somebody as a democrat committed

04:49to a secure border why can't we deliver a solution for our dreamers because immigration is part of

04:57america's superpower and it's made us much stronger and better and two things must be true at the same

05:02time and now thank you my time has expired and thank you for answering my questions

05:08so

05:09you

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