Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., on Tuesday hit out at both major parties for their attitudes toward the southern border, saying that many Democrats "don't understand" it and many Republicans "just want to use it politically."
Kelly, during an interview with The Washington Post, said that Democrats are "not even close" to recognizing the frustrations people have with border security.
"When I first got to Washington, it didn't take me long to realize that there are a lot of Democrats who don't understand our southern border and a lot of Republicans who just want to talk about it," he added. "Don't necessarily want to do anything about it, just want to use it politically."
Kelly said, "So my approach has been — to the extent that we could and can — to make progress on securing it, but also doing it in a way that's in accordance with our ethics and our values, not to demonize people."
He went on to say that he supports increased security on the border as well as Democrat-proposed immigration reforms such as protections for migrants who arrived as children.
"Our country would really benefit from stronger border security and comprehensive immigration reform," Kelly said.
He continued, "But I'll tell you what, I think there are enough of us who understand it and want to accomplish something."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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