Liberal Forum

I remember.  I voted for Clinton.  Part of it was because of this.  I supported fines and raids on businesses that hired illegals.  

What happened to the dems?

AI Overview
Historically, many mainstream Democrats and labor unions opposed illegal immigration and unauthorized labor, viewing it as a pressure that could depress wages for American blue-collar workers. [1, 2]
Historical Stances (1980s–1990s)

• Organized Labor & Law-and-Order: In the 1980s and 1990s, the Democratic Party and labor groups (such as the AFL-CIO) frequently emphasized border enforcement, workplace safety laws, and penalties for employers who hired undocumented workers. [1, 2]
• Bill Clinton (1995–1996): President Bill Clinton highlighted high deportation numbers and increased border guard staffing, stating in his 1995 State of the Union address that undocumented workers broke U.S. immigration laws and must be held accountable. His administration also backed the 1996 welfare and immigration enforcement legislation.

The Democrats’ Immigration Evolution
Ruy Teixeira explains that Democrats were not always proponents of the open-border agenda.

Teixeira explains that Democrats were not always proponents of the open-border agenda. The Democratic party used to see illegal immigration as a threat to low-wage workers and unions. In fact, in the 1980s, organized labor was the main group pushing for more hawkish immigration policies.

Teixeira stresses the importance of including the people at the center of the American electorate in policy debates, stating that the Democratic leadership is way off where the public is not. Many issues have become “culturalized” and reflect the agenda of what he calls a “shadow party” that includes activist groups, donors, academics, et al. who view issues, especially immigration, through a good-versus-evil lens, which does not foster productive debate or compromise.

Today, he said, Democrats refuse to even acknowledge a problem at our southern border and have generally alienated the working class, which once made up a significant part of their base. Additionally, they often categorize their opponents as evil rather than merely mistaken. Teixeira sums up the view of the Democratic “shadow party” on immigration as “more is better and less is racist.”

https://cis.org/Parsing-Immigration-Pol ... -Evolution