Overview

• On BBC’s Reflections podcast, Kerry declared “Trump was right” about the US-Mexico border and warned that without a protected border there is no nation.
• He faulted Democrats for allowing the border to be “under siege” during Biden’s presidency and said he advised the president to enforce immigration laws more strictly.
• Border apprehensions have fallen to near-record lows in the first six months of Trump’s second term after declining late in Biden’s tenure.
• In June, Trump ordered ICE to pursue what he called the single largest mass deportation program in history, targeting Democratic-run cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.
• Kerry’s comments have provoked internal Democratic debate over past immigration strategies even as legal battles and partisan clashes over border policy persist.