In a rare moment of bipartisan alignment, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Sunday that he supports President Trump’s efforts to curb illegal immigration and stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States — but made clear that their agreement ends there.
Appearing on ABC’s This Week, Sanders was asked by host Jonathan Karl if there was anything Trump had done right. His answer surprised many.
“I think cracking down on fentanyl, making sure our borders are stronger,” Sanders said. “Look, nobody thinks illegal immigration is appropriate. I happen to think we need comprehensive immigration reform, but I don’t think it’s appropriate for people to be coming across the border illegally.”
READ: Border Czar Tom Homan: “We Will Not Stop Until We Have Total Operational Control”
Sanders quickly drew a red line on Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement plans, particularly the administration’s push to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.
“He wants to deport 20 million people who are in this country who are undocumented,” Sanders said. “Well, you do that, you destroy the entire country.”
The Vermont senator highlighted the essential roles many undocumented workers play in the American economy, especially in agriculture and food processing.
“I got news for you,” Sanders said. “Trump’s billionaire friends are not going to pick the crops in California that feed us. They’re not going to work in meatpacking houses. That’s what undocumented people are doing.”
Sanders’s comments come amid his nationwide “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, a populist campaign aimed at confronting corporate power and wealth inequality. The tour, now joined by progressive firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), has drawn large crowds, including over 30,000 attendees at a rally in Denver this weekend.
The campaign also targets powerful tech moguls, including Elon Musk, with Sanders accusing billionaires of wielding unchecked influence over American politics and the economy.
While Sanders’s partial agreement with Trump on border policy is notable, it reflects a nuanced position emerging among some progressives: support for secure borders and anti-trafficking efforts, coupled with a strong rejection of mass deportations and dehumanizing rhetoric around immigration.
Sanders has long called for a comprehensive approach that balances enforcement with a path to citizenship and fair labor protections — an approach that diverges sharply from Trump’s hardline proposals.
President Trump is expected to sign an executive order this week boosting domestic production of critical minerals, signaling the administration’s continued focus on resource independence and national security.
Meanwhile, Sanders shows no signs of backing down in his fight against the economic elite — even when it means agreeing with Trump on certain issues, as long as it serves the broader cause of protecting working-class Americans.
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