Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., has stated that the Democratic Party lacks a coherent immigration plan and has become defined primarily by its opposition to former President Donald Trump. Moulton, who is also a candidate for the U.S. Senate, shared his observations from town halls across Massachusetts, where he found that voters' understanding of the party's position on immigration was largely limited to opposing Trump's policies.
"We don’t have a plan for immigration. We’re not able to say what, actually, Democrats should do to fix the problem," Moulton said during an appearance on MSNOW's "Money, Power, Politics." "All we are is opposition to Trump."
He described asking audiences, "How many of you are opposed to Trump’s immigration enforcement?" to which he reported, "Every hand in the room goes up."
Moulton also criticized the party for downplaying voter concerns, citing the approach to inflation during former President Joe Biden's administration. "Under Biden, we said inflation is not really a big deal. It’s transitory. It’s going to go away," he said, adding that the party has a "history of kind of just like washing over problems and not addressing real concerns that voters have."
Contrastingly, Moulton noted that Republicans benefit from having a defined immigration approach, such as Trump's enforcement agenda. "This is criminal what Trump is doing," Moulton stated. "And the fact that we don’t even have an answer to that is a real problem."
Moulton outlined his own proposed approach, which includes abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), prosecuting officials who violate the law, and implementing reforms to encourage legal immigration. He argued that the current system makes legal immigration unnecessarily difficult, stating, "Right now, it’s easier for people to come across the border than to go through the bureaucratic process."
Moulton's congressional website indicates support for comprehensive immigration reform that includes securing the border, reducing illegal immigration, expanding legal pathways, and providing a path to citizenship. He also backed legislation in January that would allow ICE officers to be prosecuted for misconduct.
Moulton is currently challenging Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., in the state's Democratic Senate primary. A poll conducted in late June indicated Markey leading Moulton by six percentage points among likely Democratic primary voters, with more than 20% undecided.