A vulnerable House Democrat in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania has flip-flopped on her position regarding border security as the nationwide migrant crisis becomes a mounting issue ahead of the November elections.
Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) previously dismissed a border wall as “silly.”
However, the congresswoman now appears to have shifted her views on immigration, according to a recent op-ed calling for stricter border security.
“We may be a long way from the U.S.-Mexico border, but the problems created by a broken system affect us too, particularly with regard to the entry of illegal drugs into our country,” Wild wrote in an op-ed published in The Morning Call.
Wild’s op-ed, which was headlined “Your View by US Rep. Susan Wild: It’s time to do something about the Southern border,” comes after the flood of illegal aliens has spiraled out of control under Democrat President Joe Biden’s administration.
Nearly 7.3 million illegal aliens flooded the nation between Biden’s first day in office and February of this year.
The figure is greater than the population of 36 individual states and has affected cities across the nation.
After the Biden admin avoided calling the flood of migrants at the border a “crisis” in 2021, Wild joined a C-SPAN program in January 2022 to discuss the Democrat president’s first year in office.
Wild said she doesn’t agree with Republican colleagues that every state is a border state due to lax immigration laws.
“No, I don’t agree with that statement,” she said in the interview.
In 2018, when President Trump was in office, Wild joined a local Democrat debate and said the plan to build a border wall was “silly.”
“Anybody here for building the wall? Anybody?” the debate moderator asked the group of Democrats.
“Absolutely not,” Wild responded.
“I think we, we, end that silly idea and put that money toward education and health care.”
The congresswoman represents Pennsylvania’s 7th District in Lehigh Valley, which includes cities and towns such as Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton.
Wild has served in Congress since 2018 and is expected to face an uphill fight this election year in the key battleground state.
Ahead of the election season kicking off in earnest, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released a list of more than two dozen Democrats last year considered vulnerable as they face off against Republican challengers.
Wild was included on the list, alongside fellow Democrat Pennsylvania Reps. Chris Deluzio and Matt Cartwright.
Alongside inflation and the economy, Immigration is a top concern for voters across the nation, including in Pennsylvania.
Trump has a 16-point edge over Biden in the Keystone State when it comes to border security and immigration, as well as a 4-point lead regarding his foreign policies, polling shows.
Wild’s op-ed appears to mark a turn in her previous rhetoric on border security, calling the matter a “crisis” that needs to be remedied.
“There is unquestionably a crisis at our Southern border – and this is something that almost everyone, no matter their political persuasion, can agree on,” she began in the op-ed.
She went on to pin blame for the lack of a secure border or immigration plan on “extreme politicians” who pull “cheap political stunts.”
“Many of us in Congress have proven time and time again that we are more than willing to work with members of either party on large-scale policy proposals to address border and immigration challenges,” she wrote.
“However, we are held hostage by the extreme politicians who continue to stall our efforts in the name of cheap political stunts.”
She promoted a piece of legislation she co-sponsored, The Dignity Act, in the op-ed, which she said will “immediately address critical elements of our immigration system, restore order at our Southern border, and implement long-term, much-needed changes.”
“The Dignity Act would increase border patrol personnel and provide cutting-edge screening technology to help detect contraband and illegal substances; change our political asylum system by constructing facilities in Latin America, where asylum seekers would be screened for eligibility; require employers to verify the immigration status of their employees, and create a pathway to citizenship for ‘Dreamers,’” she wrote.
The op-ed comes after Wild dismissed the notion that illegal immigrants would take jobs from legal American residents during a C-SPAN interview, arguing “We have the opposite problem.”
“As far as what you mentioned about people coming across the border and taking jobs, quite honestly sir, we have the opposite problem right now,” she said.
“We need more people in our workforce.”
Mike Marinella, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, argued in a statement that Wild is making a “desperate” attempt to backtrack her policies ahead of 2024.
“It must be an election year because Susan Wild is making a desperate scramble to reel back her extreme policies,” Marinella said.
“The truth is, Wild never once voted to secure the border and none of her lies can change that fact.”
Wild’s congressional office issued a statement saying that the congresswoman “has consistently advocated for the need to secure our Southern border.”
She recently voted “to send nearly $20 billion to Customs and Border Protection – including $75.5 million to acquire additional inspection detection systems and $20 million for additional CBP Officers to support counter fentanyl efforts – and has called repeatedly for House Republican leadership to take up the Bipartisan Border deal crafted by both parties in the Senate, which would have been the most comprehensive immigration reform the U.S. has seen in decades,” congressional office spokeswoman Natalie Gould said.
Wild notably broke with her party in March, voting in favor of the Laken Riley Act.
The act is named after a college student who was tragically killed by an illegal alien.
The legislation would have required Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to issue detainers and take custody of illegal migrants if they commit certain theft-related crimes, among other measures.
Pennsylvania will again serve as a key battleground state this election cycle as Trump and Biden are anticipated to face a rematch in the state.
In 2016, the state narrowly voted for Trump and elected Biden in 2020 by a 1.17% margin.
A recent poll from the New York Times found Trump leading in the majority of battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, and Georgia.
Wild will face off against Republican state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.
Mackenzie has slammed Biden and Wild for “destroying this country” with “wide open borders” and crippling inflation.
