The Democrats Embrace the Right on Immigration
On this episode of The Time of Monsters, a discussion with Adam Johnson on the Democrats’ failed border policy.

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On this episode of The Time of Monsters, a discussion with Adam Johnson on the Democrats' failed border policy.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks at a news conference after a weekly policy luncheon with Senate Democrats at the U.S. Capitol Building on February 06, 2024.
(Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)With the collapse of the so-called border deal in the Senate, the Democrats have a new line: We gave the Republicans what they wanted, and the GOP still rejected it. Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz said, “I’ve never seen anything like it. [Senate Republicans] literally demanded specific policy, got it, and then killed it.” The lesson to be drawn is that the GOP is irresponsible and doesn’t really want a border solution.
That accusation is true, but it leaves a question about the Democrats. What does it say that the Democrats, who for years have rightly accused the GOP of pushing draconian and inhumane immigration policies, have now decided to support those very same policies?
Adam Johnson, cohost of the podcast Citations Needed, wrote an eloquent critique of the Democrats handling of immigration for The Nation.

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.
By helping the Republicans pass a spending bill that made no compromises with the Democrats and extend Donald Trump’s power over the government, Chuck Schumer has made himself widely unpopular in his own party. Anger at Schumer is so intense that he had to cancel parts of his tour to promote his new book Antisemitism in America: A Warning. David Klion, Nation columnist and frequent guest on the podcast, reviewed this volume for The Baffler. He joins to podcast to discuss both the book and the making of Chuck Schumer.
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