Fetterman says American dream is threatened by 300,000 illegal immigrants swarming southern border

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., lobbied for securing the U.S. southern border, telling CNN on Friday that 300,000 illegal immigrants attempting to enter the country are blocking legal migrants from their "American dream."

Fetterman spoke to CNN’s "The Lead" anchor Jake Tapper about the current migrant crisis, claiming the wave is making our immigration system "difficult." Though he noted he’s a huge proponent of legal migration, he demanded a "secure border" and questioned why his progressive critics have a problem with that. 

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Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn. tells CNN's Jake Tapper that the U.S. southern border needs to be secured. 

Tapper prompted him on recent criticism from the left over his pro-Israel and pro-border security stances, asking, "Why do you think you’ve been criticized by so many progressives?"  

The lawmaker replied, "I honestly don’t understand. I don’t understand why it’s controversial to anybody to decide that you’re going to stand with Israel in this situation. I honestly don’t understand why it’s controversial to say we need a secure border."

"I’ve been very clear, in fact, that was weaponized against me [by] Republicans in my race, that I’m very much a strong supporter of immigration, and you know, my wife’s family, that’s the origin story about that," he added.

Fetterman noted that he is very supportive of legal immigration, while at the same time a proponent of securing the southern border. "And I think two things can be true at the same time. You can be very supportive of immigration, but we also need to have a secure border," he declared.

He then mentioned how the influx of illegal border crossings make it harder for legal immigrants to achieve their move to America, adding, "And I really — [what] I think about immigration is, we want to provide the American Dream for any migrant. But it seems very difficult when you have 300,000 people showing up, encountered at our border to do that."

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The Democratic Party lawmaker has turned heads with his more conservative positions on hot-button issues recently. (Bill Clark)

Fetterman concluded by proposing a "reset" on the U.S.’s border polices, arguing that Republican and Democratic lawmakers "have to work together and develop a new comprehensive solution" to solve the crisis.

For the past few months, Fetterman has been pointing out the problems at the U.S. southern border and urging lawmakers to come together for solutions to fix them. 

He told Politico in December, "It’s a reasonable conversation, and Democrats should engage. It’s a reasonable conversation, and Democrats should engage."

Fetterman’s stance on the border reflects what many of his critics are calling an unlikely transformation, from him appearing to be a run-of-the-mill progressive since he took office, to now having seemingly more conservative positions on many of hot-button issues today. 

His unwavering support for Israel in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, support for a secure border, and boldness in calling out corruption in his own party – like blasting Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who has had federal bribery charges filed against him – has made conservatives more comfortable with the freshman lawmaker. 

Fox News Digital’s Kyle Morris contributed to this report.

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