Dems Claim Trump Killed Immigration Bill, But Border Success Proves His Ideas Worked: Expert

The dramatic drop in illegal crossings at the U.S. southern border is shaking up a key Democratic narrative that dominated the 2024 campaign. Back then, Democrats insisted that former President Donald Trump killed bipartisan border legislation that could have secured the border.

"President Trump’s fast and successful border security proves Biden’s false claim of needing the Senate’s border insecurity bill was nothing more than Biden’s attempted power grab," said Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation's Border Security and Immigration Center, in a statement to Fox News Digital. Ries argued that Biden's approach would have hamstrung any future president who wanted to enforce immigration laws.

The numbers seem to back Ries up. In an unprecedented turn of events, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents recorded a 15-year low in single-day border apprehensions, with only 200 encounters reported on February 22. Trump's policies are being credited for this rapid improvement, and a DHS spokesperson didn't hold back, stating, "President Trump and Secretary Noem have sent a clear message to illegal aliens: Do not come to our country. You will not be allowed in. And if you get in, we will hunt you down and deport you."

Meanwhile, Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks confirmed in a CBS News interview that southern border crossings were down a jaw-dropping 94% compared to the same period last year. He attributed this success to the Trump administration's aggressive stance.

But Democrats have been painting a different picture. Throughout 2024, they blamed Trump and his Republican allies for thwarting a bipartisan border bill that had the support of former President Joe Biden. Biden himself accused Trump of tying his hands, claiming, "Every day between now and November, the American people are going to know that the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends."

Biden argued that the bill would have provided resources to fix the broken immigration system, including more Border Patrol agents, asylum officers, and judges. He lamented, "Frankly, I would have preferred to address this issue through bipartisan legislation... But, Republicans left me no choice."

The blame game hit a fever pitch during the campaign season, with key Democratic figures like then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and former Vice President Kamala Harris piling on. Harris went so far as to claim during a debate that Trump intentionally killed the bill for political gain, saying, "He preferred to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem."

However, Ries pushed back on the Democrats' narrative, pointing out that an alternative legislative option existed all along: the Secure the Border Act, which had already passed the Republican-controlled House. "The Senate could’ve passed HR-2... the House had already passed it, and it was collecting dust on the Senate’s desk," she said.

So, while Democrats spent much of the 2024 campaign blaming Trump for legislative gridlock, his executive actions appear to have delivered measurable results at the border. Whether this will reshape the immigration debate heading into the future remains to be seen. One thing’s for sure—the border talk isn’t going anywhere.