--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I first arrived in the U.S. House of…" description: "\"When I first arrived in the U.S. House of Representatives, I naively believed that it was primarily the Democrats who were committed to open borders. B..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6d/tom-tancredo-3606_borders_when-i-first-arrived-in-the-u-s-house-of_892209.png" --- # When I first arrived in the U.S. House of Representatives… ![“When I first arrived in the U.S. House of Representatives, I naively believed that it was primarily the Democrats who were committed to open borders. But I quickly learned the entire Republican establishment also supported a policy of immigration non-enforcement.” quote by Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6d/tom-tancredo-3606_borders_when-i-first-arrived-in-the-u-s-house-of_892209.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6d/tom-tancredo-3606_borders_when-i-first-arrived-in-the-u-s-house-of_892209.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6d/tom-tancredo-3606_borders_when-i-first-arrived-in-the-u-s-house-of_892209.png) > “When I first arrived in the U.S. House of Representatives, I naively believed that it was primarily the Democrats who were committed to open borders. But I quickly learned the entire Republican establishment also supported a policy of immigration non-enforcement.” [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker discovered that both major parties historically supported lax immigration enforcement, contrary to naive assumptions. **In simple terms:** Both parties have backed weak immigration enforcement. Key Takeaway Recognize bipartisan influences on policy. Themes politics immigration partisanship Mood cautious analytical Type political informative When to use this quote - legislative debates - media analysis - voter education Key Concepts policy analysis historical context Questions to Reflect On - How does bipartisan support affect reform efforts? - What assumptions shape your view of party policies? A Different Perspective Oversimplifying party positions can mislead public opinion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Democrats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democrats/) [Democrats Committed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democrats-committed-1161053/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Open Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-borders/) [Policy Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy-immigration-1161054/) [Primarily Democrats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primarily-democrats-304272/) [Representatives Naively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representatives-naively-1161052/) ## Related quotes > [Refugee policy is only one part of immigration law needing a drastic overhaul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/refugee-policy-is-only-one-part-of-immigration-law-needing-a-drastic/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [I don't even think people are even making an effort to understand Trump. I'm thinking primarily of Democrats and media here. I think they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-don-t-even-think-people-are-even-making-an-effort-to-understand/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Democrats are committed to mapping a new direction in Iraq, and we will work with the President and the new Defense Secretary to ensure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-clyburn/democrats-are-committed-to-mapping-a-new-direction-in-iraq-and-we/) [Jim Clyburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-clyburn/) > [“Republicans, as well as Democrats committed to our constitutional framework, should fearlessly marshal the administration’s frauds, obstructions, and violations of law. They should demand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mccarthy/republicans-as-well-as-democrats-committed-to-our-constitutional/) [Andrew McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mccarthy/) > [While we're members of the European Union, we don't have an immigration policy. We can't have an immigration policy. It's a charade for people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/while-we-re-members-of-the-european-union-we-don-t-have-an/) [Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/) > [There's no shortage of Democrats who are at least as committed as Schwarzenegger to reducing greenhouse gases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/there-s-no-shortage-of-democrats-who-are-at-least-as-committed-as/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) > [If your policy is immigration, you're gonna have a finite number, and you want the best people you can get. It's no different than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/if-your-policy-is-immigration-you-re-gonna-have-a-finite-number-and/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The public health ramifications of our scandalous open borders are possibly even more dangerous and far-reaching than the economic and political consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/the-public-health-ramifications-of-our-scandalous-open-borders-are/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [The United States has been turned into a mindless true-false test, instead of the complex essay exam, it should be. You are either for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kirk/the-united-states-has-been-turned-into-a-mindless-true-false-test/) [Charlie Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kirk/) > [Open borders drive wages down for the black community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-watters/open-borders-drive-wages-down-for-the-black-community/) [Jesse Watters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-watters/) > [I am actually an open borders kind of guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hassett/i-am-actually-an-open-borders-kind-of-guy/) [Kevin Hassett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hassett/) > [Apparently we've got open borders. We've got people in this country all over the place that could be part of cells. After 9/11 happened,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/apparently-we-ve-got-open-borders-we-ve-got-people-in-this-country/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Hillary Clinton is for sanctuary cities. She's for catch and release. She's for open borders. She's actually considerably to the left of President Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellyanne-conway/hillary-clinton-is-for-sanctuary-cities-she-s-for-catch-and-release/) [Kellyanne Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellyanne-conway/) > [Nobody here's for open borders. When undocumented people are apprehended, they should be sent back to wherever they came from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-polanco/nobody-here-s-for-open-borders-when-undocumented-people-are/) [Richard Polanco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-polanco/) > [It's great that Trump has engendered a heated debate over illegal immigration and our open borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/it-s-great-that-trump-has-engendered-a-heated-debate-over-illegal/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) ## More by Tom Tancredo > [Anger is an emotion, not a compass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/anger-is-an-emotion-not-a-compass/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [No migrant of any religion has a constitutional right to come to the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/no-migrant-of-any-religion-has-a-constitutional-right-to-come-to-the/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [My policy has always been to say what I believe to be in the best interest of the American people and hope the voters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/my-policy-has-always-been-to-say-what-i-believe-to-be-in-the-best/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [Progressives really do see America as guilty of crimes against humanity, and to them, our 'greatness' must be abandoned to atone for those crimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/progressives-really-do-see-america-as-guilty-of-crimes-against/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [To Barack Obama and the American Left, the 'imperialist' West is always guilty, and so, radical Islam is seen as at least half right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/to-barack-obama-and-the-american-left-the-imperialist-west-is-always/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [We must give Trump credit for asking many politically incorrect questions and challenging mainstream Republican dogma on immigration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/we-must-give-trump-credit-for-asking-many-politically-incorrect/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [The path chosen by Barack Obama and the Democrat Party is the road to 'small-c- communism' - and the important thing to understand is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/the-path-chosen-by-barack-obama-and-the-democrat-party-is-the-road-to/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [To be called a sovereign nation, a nation has to be able to control its own borders. It is controlling your own destiny in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/to-be-called-a-sovereign-nation-a-nation-has-to-be-able-to-control/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [It is neither racist nor elitist to say publicly what every rational person believes privately - that if you don't know anything about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/it-is-neither-racist-nor-elitist-to-say-publicly-what-every-rational/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [Welcome to the brave new world of American multiculturalism. From a nation of diverse peoples united by a common culture, we have become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/welcome-to-the-brave-new-world-of-american-multiculturalism-from-a/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [The Democratic Party looks at massive immigration, legal and illegal, as a source of voters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/the-democratic-party-looks-at-massive-immigration-legal-and-illegal/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [As everyone knows, I have never been a fan of George Bush's presidency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/as-everyone-knows-i-have-never-been-a-fan-of-george-bush-s-presidency/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [When the rule of law is being perverted to the rule of the 'good intentions' of unelected judges, it is time for serious study…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/when-the-rule-of-law-is-being-perverted-to-the-rule-of-the-good/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [The academic Left has a long history of taking the idea of 'false consciousness' seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/the-academic-left-has-a-long-history-of-taking-the-idea-of-false/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [Look at what has happened to Miami. It has become a Third World country. You just pick it up and take it and move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/look-at-what-has-happened-to-miami-it-has-become-a-third-world/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) [Explore all 126 Tom Tancredo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) ## More Borders quotes > [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/) [Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) > [Preemptive war is what Israel did in '67 with Arab armies on its borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/preemptive-war-is-what-israel-did-in-67-with-arab-armies-on-its/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [When I went to law school, which after all was back in the dark ages, we never looked beyond our borders for precedents. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-day-o-connor/when-i-went-to-law-school-which-after-all-was-back-in-the-dark-ages/) [Sandra Day O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-day-o-connor/) > [Schengen cannot survive without the most dramatic reform, and the external borders of Europe must be rapidly strengthened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-soames/schengen-cannot-survive-without-the-most-dramatic-reform-and-the/) [Nicholas Soames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-soames/) > [The troops were occasionally occupied in pursuing scattered bands going north or south, and on three occasions the large camp of Sitting Bull ventured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-a-miles/the-troops-were-occasionally-occupied-in-pursuing-scattered-bands/) [Nelson A. Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-a-miles/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [When we talk about contemporary art and contemporary artists, we usually imagine artists who are alive. But I feel very uncomfortable about placing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/when-we-talk-about-contemporary-art-and-contemporary-artists-we/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Photography... unites the obvious and the unconscious at the level of the limimal - the border between what we see and what we suspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-lorca-dicorcia/photography-unites-the-obvious-and-the-unconscious-at-the-level-of/) [Philip-Lorca diCorcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-lorca-dicorcia/) > [When you have the Chief of Staff of the Republican National Committee and the political director of the Romney campaign, and their two companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-caddell/when-you-have-the-chief-of-staff-of-the-republican-national-committee/) [Patrick Caddell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-caddell/) > [Fifty thousand people in Mexico have been murdered. Puerto Penasco, 60 miles south of our border, just had five people and a police officer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-brewer/fifty-thousand-people-in-mexico-have-been-murdered-puerto-penasco-60/) [Jan Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-brewer/) > [The unpleasant truth is that some borders are untenable and preserving them causes conflict, not peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/the-unpleasant-truth-is-that-some-borders-are-untenable-and/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Interesting things happen along borders - transitions - not in the middle where everything is the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/interesting-things-happen-along-borders-transitions-not-in-the-middle/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [At no other time (than autumn) does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/at-no-other-time-than-autumn-does-the-earth-let-itself-be-inhaled-in/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [House Republicans want to pass a strong border security, illegal immigration bill. We want a bill. There is no ifs, ands or buts about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boehner/house-republicans-want-to-pass-a-strong-border-security-illegal/) [John Boehner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boehner/) [Browse all 1,650 Borders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I first arrived in the U.S. House of Representatives, I naively believed that it was primarily the Democrats who were committed to open borders. 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