In an “Axe Files” interview, Holder also defended Obama’s record on deportation. He told host David Axelrod that the deportations that occurred under Obama were all related to public safety because the individuals who were deported had criminal records.
He also called out 2020 Democrats for their criticisms on the administration’s immigration policy, noting that “borders do mean something.”
“Yeah, but the [deportation] emphasis there was on people who had criminal records, people who posed a danger — a public safety risk. Those were the people who we emphasized as, you know, deporting. You know, Democrats have to understand that we do have to have — borders do mean something.”
Holder also claimed that decriminalizing illegal border crossings — as some 2020 Democrats have suggested — is a step too far. He noted that it could hurt the party to embrace policies that are unrealistic and impossible to deliver on for voters.
“Yeah. I mean, I think we need to look for solutions to the problems that we confront that are consistent with who we are as a party, consistent with the Democratic tradition. But also, the kinds of things that we’re going to be able to deliver to people. People who believe in government because they’re promised so much and we then frequently don’t deliver for them. I hope that we’ll be, just as I said, realistic but consistent again with our progressive principles.” – READ MORE