(NewsNation) — Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio defends the underlying concept of “sanctuary cities” but suggests fellow Democrats should acknowledge voters want a secure border after the bad optics he says were presented during President Joe Biden’s administration.
De Blasio joined “NewsNation Now” on Thursday to discuss the plight of the Democrats, who the former mayor says appeared out of touch in the 2024 election cycle that saw the return of President Donald Trump, a Republican.
“Deep respect to Joe Biden on what he achieved because I actually think he was a very good president on many levels,” de Blasio said. “But on immigration, I do not understand. If he made the change he made in 2024 to finally stop the disorder at the border, why didn’t he make that change a year or two earlier?”
He added: “Democrats need to say, ‘We believe in order, we believe in security, we need a border that makes sense.’ We need comprehensive immigration reform as well, by the way, and Republicans have often stood in the way of that.”
Trump campaigned on tightening the southern border and promised a crackdown on illegal immigration. His administration has been rounding up undocumented immigrants for deportation since the start of Trump’s second term Jan. 20.
De Blasio’s tenure as mayor was identified with migrant-friendly sanctuary policies. He said the underlying idea of accepting law-abiding migrants is still valid.
“The NYPD, for decades, believed it was wrong to ask documentation status because you would break the bond with the community, people would stop reporting crimes, stop coming forward as witnesses, if they thought they might be deported,” he said.
The Trump administration is trying to pressure sanctuary cities like New York, Chicago and Denver to offer greater cooperation with federal immigration authorities.