The Reverend Al Sharpton, a prominent civil rights activist, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the current immigration situation at the southern border of the United States.
During a recent appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Sharpton's comments likely ruffled feathers among his liberal compatriots as he highlighted the public's "outrage" over the unchecked influx of illegal immigrants into the country.
Sharpton's remarks were made during a discussion with Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), a key negotiator in the recent bipartisan deal on the southern border, which already seems to be on the brink of collapse. Sharpton queried Murphy, "What is being done to get the public to really rise up in various states to say to their senators that they want to see the border issue resolved? I mean, youre getting migrants beating up policemen in the streets of New York."
Sharpton continued, "Youre seeing an influx of migrants all over the country that, frankly, have people outraged. Couldnt there be some kind of public pressure put in the next couple of days in some of these senators states saying, Why are you allowing this to continue? Because at the end of the day, senators have to deal with their voters."
After Murphy defended his bill and the conversation shifted to the conflict in Gaza, Sharpton redirected the discussion back to the border issue, describing the situation as an "invasion." He asked, "But the border, I mean, were looking every day at the invasion of migrants, and theyre playing a time game with politics on this? Couldnt the pressure be put to bear in their home states?"
Sharpton's use of the term "invasion" to describe the immigration situation is likely to provoke a reaction from many on the left. HuffPost recently published an article arguing that such language is deeply racist. The article stated, "Once confined to the nativist far-right, this rhetoric of immigrant invasion has surged into the Republican Party mainstream since former President Donald Trumps rise in 2016."
Despite this, the disagreement underscores the escalating frustration within segments of the Democratic coalition over the continuous stream of illegal immigrants arriving in cities such as New York and Chicago. This frustration is particularly pronounced in many black communities, who are justifiably outraged at the prospect of their tax dollars being used to support the lifestyles of unknown individuals who continue to flout America's legal system.
Over the past few months, leaders in New York, Chicago, and other sanctuary cities have implored Texas Governor Greg Abbott to cease sending illegal immigrants their way. Abbott, however, has confirmed that the policy will persist until measures are taken to secure the border. "Texas has transported over 102,000 migrants to sanctuary cities," he stated on the X platform last month. "Overwhelmed Texas border towns should not bear the brunt of Bidens open border policies. Our transportation mission will continue until Biden secures the border."
Login