ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the representation of borders as a discourse topic by mainstream Democrats and progressives. It will do so by analysing a dataset of the most important statements on borders by three key progressive politicians: Bernie Sanders, the independent Senator from Vermont and two-time candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination; Hillary Clinton, the Democratic 2016 presidential candidate who was defeated by Donald Trump; and Joe Biden, elected as the 46th President of the USA in 2020. While the three politicians do differ in some important issues, their position on borders may be seen on the whole to exemplify the mainstream liberal or progressive stance—and as such has been lambasted by Trump and the Republicans as supporting “open borders.” Before and during Trump’s mandate, Democrats attacked Trump’s border and immigration policies along two main arguments: (1) the wall was ineffective in stopping migration and was a waste of money, and (2) some measures taken at the borders, first of all family separation, were utterly inhumane and ran against the values of the USA as a nation of immigrants. Democrats countered the Trump Wall with an idea of borders based on modernity and technology (or a “smart border”) which still prioritised security.
