2020 presidential candidates on border security

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Presidential election
Donald Trump

Joe Biden

Howie Hawkins

Jo Jorgensen

This page includes statements from the 2020 presidential candidates on border security These statements were compiled from each candidate's official campaign website, editorials, speeches, and interviews. Click the following links for policy statements about related issues: immigration, DACA and Dreamers, and immigration enforcement.

The candidates featured on this page are the 2020 presidential nominees from the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and Green parties.

Donald Trump
Joe Biden
Howie Hawkins
Jo Jorgensen

Border security

Republican candidates

Donald Trump

Donald Trump's campaign website says, "Upon entering office, President Trump called on Congress to fully fund a wall along the Southern border, to close legal loopholes that enable illegal immigration, to end chain migration, and to eliminate the visa lottery program. The Trump Administration has secured funding for approximately 445 miles of the total 722 miles of border wall requested. President Trump ordered the hiring of 10,000 new ICE agents and 5,000 additional border patrol agents. U.S. Border Patrol and the Office of Field Operations have seized a combined nearly 3 million pounds of drugs since 2017." ^{[source, as of 2020-02-06]}

Mark Sanford

Mark Sanford's campaign website says, "I believe in a secure border. I have voted for wall funding, and also believe we need to update the amnesty laws in our country." ^{[source, as of 2019-09-10]}

Joe Walsh

In an interview on CNN, Joe Walsh said, "I believe in a wall, Trump hasn't built a wall. I believe in border security, Trump has botched the border. The border's a bigger mess now than it was when he got elected." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-26]}

Bill Weld

Bill Weld said in a debate that "all the people who are worried about the immigrants being in our midst, they deserve to have a secure southern border. But that's not rocket science. And all the experts say what you really need to secure the Mexican border is more people and more drones. We need more judges to handle asylum cases, you need more people to process the refugees and regular applicants coming in from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. And that's what all the experts say we need. And it's probably not as expensive as a 200 mile long 200 foot high wall but that should be number one and then everything else is easy once everyone relaxes about the immigrants." ^{[source, as of 2019-09-24]}

Democratic candidates

Joe Biden

Joe Biden's campaign website says he will adopt the following border security policies: "Surge asylum officers to efficiently review the cases of recent border crossers and keep cases with positive credible-fear findings with the Asylum Division. Address the root causes of migration by fostering greater security, economic development, and respect for the rule of law in Central America. Invest in better technology coupled with privacy protections at the border, both at and between ports of entry, including cameras, sensors, large-scale x-ray machines, and fixed towers. Improve cross-agency collaboration. Work with Mexico and Canada as partners — not as adversaries." ^{[source, as of 2020-06-18]}

Michael Bloomberg

Mike Bloomberg said in a speech, "The vast majority of us agree that we should control our borders and welcome hard-working people from around the world who want to come here to work and pursue the American Dream, and provide a path to citizenship for all who are here." ^{[source, as of 2019-02-08]}

Cory Booker

Cory Booker's campaign website lists six border security-related priorities: "Stop the border wall that is wasting taxpayer money and harming local environments and communities. Shut down inhumane facilities and require all facilities to meet the highest standards. Virtually eliminate our nation’s reliance on immigration incarceration, including ending the use of for-profit detention facilities. End abusive detention conditions and unnecessary delays for children and families. Create a presumption of liberty with a fair and humane bond process. Expand legal counsel for all immigrants, starting with immigrant children."

The website says: "The President’s wasteful border wall won’t make us safer. In fact, efforts to build a wall have devastated the environment around the border and stalled important trade and legal human transit. As president, Cory would end the executive actions that provide funding for the border wall, and facilitate removal of the wall where it is harming border communities. The people held in DHS custody are seeking safety and a better life. The Trump Administration’s border detention camps and immigration jails throughout the interior of the country are a stain on our nation’s history as a beacon for hope, freedom, and opportunity for generations the world over. In recent weeks, the Administration has argued in court that migrant children don’t need safe and sanitary conditions and necessities, and DHS’s own inspector general has cataloged the horrific conditions at facilities." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-26]}

Pete Buttigieg

Pete Buttigieg's campaign website says that "security comes from a compassionate and effective immigration and border policy." His website also says, "Common sense immigration reform must include ... reasonable security measures at the border. Reinstate enforcement priorities and prevent arbitrary targeting of immigrant communities by enforcement officials." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-21]}

Julián Castro

Julián Castro's campaign website says the following related to border security: "End wasteful, ineffective and invasive border wall construction and consult with border communities about repairing environmental and other damage already done. Properly equip our ports of entry, investing in infrastructure, staff, and technology to process claims and prevent human and drug trafficking." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-28]}

Tulsi Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbard's campaign website says, "We need comprehensive immigration reform to address our broken immigration laws and we need to have a serious conversation about the most effective and humane ways to compassionately secure our borders while building bridges and cooperative foreign policy with other countries." ^{[source, as of 2019-09-26]}

Kamala D. Harris

Kamala Harris' campaign website says, "Kamala will focus our border enforcement resources on true public safety threats through investments in technology and ports of entry to address the flow of illegal drugs, illegal weapons and human trafficking." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-20]}

Amy Klobuchar

Amy Klobuchar's camapign says in a plan for her first 100 days in office, "Senator Klobuchar will jump-start negotiations for comprehensive immigration reform — which includes a pathway to citizenship, the DREAM Act and border security — with the stated goal of passing it in the first year of her presidency. Comprehensive immigration could reduce the deficit by $158 billion. Senator Klobuchar will issue an Executive Order putting an immediate end to the cruel and inhumane policy where the government is taking kids away from their parents and ensuring children are reunited with their parents without delay. She will also reverse this administration’s attempt to overrule the Flores Settlement Agreement, which prevents prolonged detention of children and prevents children from being detained in inhumane conditions by requiring basic levels of food, water and health care." ^{[source, as of 2019-06-18]}

Beto O'Rourke

Beto O'Rourke's campaign website says he would, "Refocus on smart security. The current administration is distracting CBP and other law enforcement personnel from focusing on actual threats and undermining their efficacy by pulling resources away from them – all in pursuit of a wall that we do not need, does not work, and will not make us safer."

His website continues: "As President, Beto will: "Immediately halt work on the border wall – and his first budget, and every budget, will include zero dollars for this unnecessary wall; Immediately boost staffing to expand inspections, reduce wait times, and increase our capacity to detect illicit drugs – for instance by pursuing a targeted two-prong strategy that focuses on fentanyl shipments coming through our ports and our mail system – and other contraband, as well as modernizing our ports; and Immediately prioritize cracking down on smugglers and traffickers who exploit children and families by working with our regional partners." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-27]}

Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders' campaign website did not include a statement on border security.

It proposes the following about immigration enforcement: "Completely reshape and reform our immigration enforcement system, including fundamentally restructuring ICE, an agency Senator Sanders voted against creating. End the barbaric practice of family separation and detention of children in cages. Dismantle cruel and inhumane deportation programs and detention centers. Establish standards for independent oversight of relevant agencies within DHS." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-23]}

Tom Steyer

Tom Steyer tweeted, "We need comprehensive immigration reform. Arresting and deporting undocumented people in mass roundups has nothing to do with border security. It's meant to intimidate entire communities." ^{[source, as of 2019-06-18]}

Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren called for the following in an immigration plan published online: "Decriminalize migration and refocus enforcement on serious criminal activity. Separate law enforcement from immigration enforcement to strengthen our communities. Remake CBP and ICE in a way that reflects our values. Create accountability for the abuse perpetrated during the Trump Era."

Warren's published immigration plan includes the following. Under the heading "Eliminating Abusive Enforcement," she listed the following points: "Decriminalize migration and refocus enforcement on serious criminal activity. Separate law enforcement from immigration enforcement to strengthen our communities. Remake CBP and ICE in a way that reflects our values. Create accountability for the abuse perpetrated during the Trump Era." Warren listed the following under the heading "Significantly Reduce Immigration Detention": "End unnecessary detention. Eliminate private detention facilities. Expand the executive use of parole and invest in alternatives-to-detention." Warren listed the following under the heading "Provide Rights and Due Process in our Immigration Courts": "Establish professional, independent Article I immigration courts. Eliminate expedited removal and provide due process." ^{[source, as of 2019-07-11]}

Andrew Yang

Andrew Yang's campaign website says, "We need to enforce the border. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike agree that this is a pressing need for the good of both citizens and those who wish to come here. Though there are new technologies that could help, the best approaches are to do what we are currently doing better with more resources."

Yang's website lists the following proposals: "Increase funding to secure our landed ports of entry, where most drugs enter the United States. Increase funding to our Customs Enforcement teams that are tasked with preventing human trafficking both into and out of the US. Invest in technologies such as ground and aerial sensors, and video towers, to allow for efficient and effective means of monitoring stretches of the US/Mexico border that are rarely crossed but still provide means of entering the US. Provide body cameras for all agents along the US/Mexico border. Invest heavily in protecting and renewing the Rio Grande, which serves as a great natural boundary, and is currently ecologically struggling. Provide all resources necessary to allow our asylum court system to function properly, lowering the backlog of cases and thus removing one of the prime reasons we’ve seen “caravans” increasing in size and frequency. Work with the Mexican government on all of these initiatives, as well as anti-cartel initiatives, to ensure a positive relationship that allows both countries to serve the needs of their citizens." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-28]}

Green candidates

Howie Hawkins

Howie Hawkins' campaign website says, "We will demand open borders where movement between nations is free, like it is in the European Union. International borders should be authentic fair-trade zones where people are free to travel across borders for work, shopping, or recreation. People crossing international borders would be required to present their identification at a border crossing. Only people wanted for criminal charges or terrorist organization affiliation would be detained. People who cross without checking in at a border crossing would also be detained and checked at an official border crossing. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (BPE) should be abolished and replaced with a new immigration agency with personnel committed to the open borders policy." ^{[source, as of 2020-07-09]}

Libertarian candidates

Jo Jorgensen

Jo Jorgensen's campaign website says the U.S. should not build a wall along the southern border, separate children from adults who illegally attempted to cross the border, or increase restrictions on border security policy. ^{[source, as of 2020-07-28]}

Other policy pages

Abortion

2020 presidential candidates on abortion

Criminal justice

Economy

Education

Energy and environmental issues

Foreign policy

Gun regulation

2020 presidential candidates on gun regulation

Healthcare

Immigration

Impeachment

2020 presidential candidates on impeachment

Labor

Trade

Footnotes