On Friday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” CNN White House Correspondent Priscilla Alvarez stated that Democrats have shifted on the border since the start of the Biden administration because “there were so many crises on the U.S.-Mexico border over the last three years with so many migrants crossing and then being sent to Democratic-led cities, that, now, Democrats across the country have started to raise concerns about what they have seen play out on the border.”
Alvarez said there has been a “shift within the Democratic Party that we have seen play out over the last three years as this administration has grappled with multiple border crises.” And “now, the vice president trying to take a tough position on the U.S.-Mexico border as they try to narrow that polling gap with former President Donald Trump, who, oftentimes, is leading by double digits when it comes to who voters trust on this very issue.”
Later, host Jake Tapper asked, “Has she addressed that question of why did she view the issue that way in 2019 and why has she evolved and [has] a different position today?”
Alvarez answered, “Well, when that question has come up, she has pivoted to the work of this administration, which, of course, didn’t decriminalize crossings. But I will say, Jake, that you have to zoom out here a little bit, because the Democratic Party of today is not where it was when President Joe Biden took office. Of course, remember that there were so many crises on the U.S.-Mexico border over the last three years with so many migrants crossing and then being sent to Democratic-led cities, that, now, Democrats across the country have started to raise concerns about what they have seen play out on the border.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett