NBC News: 'Democrats for Border Security' task force seeks to redefine the party on immigration
WASHINGTON — A newly formed group of House Democrats is seeking to shift the party's positioning on immigration to the center and address a major vulnerability for President Joe Biden that could shape his prospects for re-election this fall.
The “Democrats for Border Security” task force is co-chaired by Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who represents a border district, and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., who flipped a Republican-held swing district after he campaigned on his support for tougher border laws.
One thing they have in common: They're fed up with the party's leftward turn on immigration over the last decade and want a course change to emphasize enforcement. Cuellar's calls for tougher immigration laws date back years. Then Suozzi successfully deployed it in the suburbs of New York. They both say Democrats must do the same to win competitive House districts and defeat former President Donald Trump this November.
“I think it’s a pretty good pathway for Democrats. Don’t cede the narrative to Republicans when it comes to border security," Cuellar said in an interview. “It doesn’t matter if we’re Hispanics. We want to see order. We want to see security."
A late-January NBC News poll found that Trump has a 35-point advantage over Biden among voters asked who they believe would do a better job at "securing the border and controlling immigration." Trump and Republicans are putting a heavy emphasis on a border crackdown as their pitch to voters in the election.
In his special election last month, Suozzi sought to flip the script by going on offense with border security, embracing a bipartisan bill to impose tougher asylum laws and depicting his Trump-aligned opponent as seeking to exploit the issue for political gain. He also called for more legal pathways for aspiring Americans. It worked.
Suozzi said he has told the White House that Biden can replicate his strategy successfully all over the country. And he believes Biden has begun to do it.
“I think Democrats are already changing,” Suozzi told NBC News. “Democrats have always been concerned about border security, but now they’re being more vocal about it and proactive about it. And I think the president is doing that.”
The new caucus has 26 members, including a host of Democrats in tough districts, including Reps. Matt Cartwright, D-Pa.; Angie Craig, D-Minn.; Jared Golden, D-Maine; Susie Lee, D-Nev.; Steven Horsford, D-Nev.; Mike Levin, D-Calif.; Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.; and Mary Peltola, D-Alaska. It also includes Reps. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Colin Allred, D-Texas, who are running for the Senate in border states where immigration looms large for their electorates.
“Look, some of the loudest voices on the border crisis have made clear they have no interest in solving it,” Gallego said. “The Arizona border leaders and law enforcement I’ve met with are tired of it. We need to cut through the noise and get a border security bill done.”