Vice President JD Vance invoked Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) past criticism of open borders while defending the Trump administration’s latest immigration enforcement actions targeting companies accused of misusing employment visa programs.

Recalling Sanders’ past position on immigration, Vance said during a press conference on Thursday that back in 2016, when the leading socialist was asked about open borders, “he gave an answer that sounded similar to Stephen Miller’s (White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy), where he said, of course, we’re not going to have open borders because that’s going to displace American workers."

During the same press conference, Miller argued that while the U.S. should welcome exceptionally talented foreign workers, it must also protect opportunities for young Americans entering the workforce and mid-career employees facing layoffs. They said companies often replace American workers with foreign labor willing to work for 20%–50% less, partly because lower wages can still represent a significant raise in workers’ home countries.

Vance also argued that contemporary socialist politicians have moved away from policies designed to protect U.S. labor. “It is ironic that so many of the self-described socialists running across this country, they love the idea of replacing American workers with foreign workers,” the Vice President said.

Microsoft, Adobe Face PERM Suspension

The remarks came as the administration suspended Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) from the Labor Department’s Permanent Labor Certification, or PERM, program, under which employers sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency.

The program allows companies to sponsor eligible foreign workers for permanent U.S. residency. The suspension also covers Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. (NASDAQ:CTSH), Infosys Ltd. (NYSE:INFY), Wipro Ltd. (NYSE:WIT), Tata Consultancy Services, HCL Technologies and Capgemini.

Vance said Microsoft laid off about 6,000 American workers while retaining roughly 6,300 H-1B visa holders. Officials also alleged that some companies misrepresented information in applications for permanent residency through the PERM program.

What Did Sanders Say?

In an interview in 2016, Sanders opposed open borders, calling it a “Koch brothers proposal” and arguing that it could increase the supply of cheap labor and depress wages for U.S.-born workers. ” Bring in all kinds of people, work for 2 or $3 an hour…I don’t believe in that.”

While supporting international efforts to combat poverty, he said they should not come at the expense of American workers.

In 2019, Sanders rejected claims that he supports open borders, arguing that such a policy could trigger a large influx of migrants due to global poverty. He reiterated his support for comprehensive immigration reform, saying fully open borders are not feasible, reported Politico.

"If you open the borders, my God, there’s a lot of poverty in this world, and you’re going to have people from all over the world,” he said.

In the past, the Vermont Senator has reportedly supported a pathway to citizenship for immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children and backed the bipartisan Gang of Eight’s 2013 comprehensive immigration reform bill.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Image via Shutterstock