A vulnerable congressional Democrat in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania who previously dismissed a border wall as "silly," appears to have shifted her views on immigration, according to a recent op-ed calling for stricter border security.
"We may be a long way from the U.S.-Mexico border, but the problems created by a broken system affect us too, particularly with regard to the entry of illegal drugs into our country," Rep. Susan WIld wrote in an op-ed published last month in The Morning Call.
Wild’s op-ed, which was headlined "Your View by US Rep. Susan Wild: It’s time to do something about the Southern border," comes after immigration has spiraled under the Biden administration. Nearly 7.3 million illegal immigrants flooded the nation between Biden’s first day in office and February of this year, Fox News Digital previously reported. The figure is greater than the population of 36 individual states, and has affected states across the nation.
After the Biden administration avoided calling the flood of migrants at the border a "crisis" in 2021, Wild joined a C-SPAN program in January 2022 to discuss Biden’s first year in office and said she doesn’t agree with Republican colleagues that every state was a border state due to lax immigration laws.
VULNERABLE HOUSE DEM COMPARES SUPREME COURT PRAYER DECISION TO TALIBAN, CALLS FOR COURT-PACKING
"No, I don’t agree with that statement," she said in the interview.
In 2018, when President Trump was in office, Wild joined a local Democratic debate and said the plan to build a border wall was "silly."
GOP HOPES FOR HOLDING HOUSE COULD COME DOWN TO 6 RACES IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE
"Anybody here for building the wall? Anybody?" the debate moderator asked the group of Democrats.
"Absolutely not. I think we, we, end that silly idea and put that money toward education and health care," Wild responded.
Wild represents Pennsylvania’s 7th District in Lehigh Valley, which includes cities and towns such as Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton. Wild has served in Congress since 2018, and is expected to face an uphill battle this election year in the key battleground state.
Ahead of the election season kicking off in earnest, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released a list of more than two dozen Democrats last year considered vulnerable as they face off against Republican challengers. Wild was included on the list, alongside fellow House Pennsylvania members Chris Deluzio and Matt Cartwright.
Immigration, as well as inflation and the economy, are top concerns for voters across the nation, including in Pennsylvania. A Fox News poll published last month focusing on the Keystone State found that Trump has a 16-point edge over Biden when it comes to border security and immigration, as well as a 4-point lead regarding his foreign policies.
Wild’s op-ed appears to mark a turn in her previous rhetoric on border security, calling the matter a "crisis" that needs to be remedied.
"There is unquestionably a crisis at our Southern border – and this is something that almost everyone, no matter their political persuasion, can agree on," she began in the op-ed.
She went on to pin blame for the lack of a secure border or immigration plan on "extreme politicians" who pull "cheap political stunts."
"Many of us in Congress have proven time and time again that we are more than willing to work with members of either party on large-scale policy proposals to address border and immigration challenges. However, we are held hostage by the extreme politicians who continue to stall our efforts in the name of cheap political stunts," she wrote.
She promoted a piece of legislation she co-sponsored, The Dignity Act, in the op-ed, which she said will "immediately address critical elements of our immigration system, restore order at our Southern border and implement long-term, much needed changes."
PA DEM IN DISTRICT THAT VOTED FOR TRUMP SAYS HE'S A MODERATE, BUT VOTING RECORD TELLS ANOTHER STORY
"The Dignity Act would increase border patrol personnel and provide cutting-edge screening technology to help detect contraband and illegal substances; change our political asylum system by constructing facilities in Latin America, where asylum seekers would be screened for eligibility; require employers to verify the immigration status of their employees, and create a pathway to citizenship for ‘Dreamers,’" she wrote.
The op-ed comes after Wild dismissed the notion that illegal immigrants would take jobs from legal American residents during a C-SPAN interview, arguing "we have the opposite problem."
"As far as what you mentioned about people coming across the border and taking jobs, quite honestly sir, we have the opposite problem right now. We need more people in our workforce," she said.
ONE OF NATION'S MOST VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS COZIES UP TO BIDEN FOR PENNSYLVANIA RALLY
Mike Marinella, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, argued in comment to Fox News Digital that Wild is making a "desperate" attempt to backtrack her policies ahead of 2024.
"It must be an election year because Susan Wild is making a desperate scramble to reel back her extreme policies. The truth is, Wild never once voted to secure the border and none of her lies can change that fact." said NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella.
Wild's congressional office told Fox News Digital that Wild "has consistently advocated for the need to secure our Southern border."
She recently voted "to send nearly $20 billion to Customs and Border Protection – including $75.5 million to acquire additional inspection detection systems and $20 million for additional CBP Officers to support counter fentanyl efforts – and has called repeatedly for House Republican leadership to take up the Bipartisan Border deal crafted by both parties in the Senate, which would have been the most comprehensive immigration reform the U.S. has seen in decades," congressional office spokeswoman Natalie Gould said.
Wild notably broke with her party in March, voting in favor of the Laken Riley Act, which is named after the college student who was tragically killed by an illegal immigrant, according to law enforcement. The legislation would have required Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to issue detainers and take custody of illegal migrants if they commit certain theft-related crimes, among other measures.
Pennsylvania will again serve as a key battleground state this election cycle as former President Trump and President Biden are anticipated to face a rematch in a state that narrowly voted for Trump in 2016, and elected Biden in 2020 by a 1.17% margin.
A recent poll from the New York Times found Trump leading in the majority of battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan and Georgia.
Wild will face off against Republican state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who has slammed Biden and Wild for "destroying this country" with "wide open borders" and crippling inflation.
