Quick Hit:

Democrats are claiming to have supported border barriers all along, despite years of vocal opposition. Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) and Vice President Kamala Harris now assert that Democrats have always favored physical border security measures.

Key Details:

• Gov. Jared Polis claimed Democrats have consistently supported barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border.

• Joe Biden and Kamala Harris both opposed further wall construction during their campaigns.

• Nancy Pelosi and other prominent Democrats called physical border barriers immoral and ineffective.

Diving Deeper:

Democratic politicians, once vocal opponents of building physical barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, are now claiming they’ve always supported border security measures, including barriers—just not a 2,000-mile wall. As Tom Joyce pointed out in a recent Washington Examiner op-ed, this sudden shift stands in stark contrast to the party’s stance over the past decade.

In an interview with ABC News, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis argued that Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden, have “always been supportive of building barriers and walls for certain parts of the border as part of a comprehensive border security strategy.” He added that Democrats were against Trump’s proposed “huge boondoggle” of a continuous wall, preferring “cost-effective” measures instead.

Joyce dismisses this claim as "nonsense," highlighting how Biden explicitly opposed any wall construction during his 2020 presidential campaign. In August 2020, Biden stated, “There will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration,” emphasizing the use of technology over physical barriers. Similarly, Harris rejected any form of wall during her time as a senator, saying, "I’m not going to vote for a wall under any circumstances" at a CNN town hall in January 2019.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was equally adamant, declaring, “We’re not doing a wall... The wall is an immorality between countries,” during her time leading the House. Other prominent Democrats, including former Rep. Beto O'Rourke and Julian Castro, even expressed interest in removing parts of the existing border wall.

Joyce stresses that the Democrats' newfound interest in barriers seems timed with political convenience. While physical barriers are "one tool among many necessary to help secure the southern border," Joyce notes the Biden administration’s previous commitment to halting construction, coupled with offering benefits to illegal immigrants, leaves many skeptical about this sudden reversal.