A resurfaced statement from former President Bill Clinton is drawing renewed attention amid today’s immigration debate, highlighting how sharply Democratic rhetoric on border enforcement has shifted over the past three decades.
During a Fox News segment, anchor John Roberts and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino revisited Clinton’s remarks from 1995, when the Democratic president made a clear case for deporting illegal aliens regardless of whether they were ultimately found guilty of crimes charged against them.
In the statement, Clinton argued that unlawful presence alone was sufficient grounds for removal.
“Criminal and other deportable aliens deported since 1993 every day, illegal aliens show up in court who are charged, some are guilty and surely some are innocent,” Clinton said.
“Some go to jail, and some don’t, but they’re all illegal aliens, and whether they’re innocent or guilty of the crimes they’re charged with in court, they’re still here illegally, and they should be sent out of the country.”
Roberts emphasized the clarity of Clinton’s position and contrasted it with the current posture of the Democratic Party.
“So that is the key phrase there,” Roberts said.
“Whether they are guilty or innocent of the crimes they are charged with in court, they’re still here illegally, and they should be sent out of the country. That was a Democratic president, and that was 31 years ago. What has changed with the Democratic Party?”
Bovino said Clinton’s words showed a basic understanding of borders and law enforcement that has since eroded within Democratic leadership.
“Even Bill Clinton gets it,” Bovino said.
“Even Bill Clinton understands the importance of borders. He understands the importance of the rule of law.”
Bovino argued that illegal immigration carries tangible consequences for communities and public institutions, regardless of whether individuals commit additional crimes beyond entering the country unlawfully.
“John these illegal aliens, whether they’re criminal illegal aliens or any illegal alien, just as Bill Clinton knows, that’s not a victimless crime,” Bovino said.
“Illegal aliens that come across and utilize our hospital services, they fill our jails and schools. That has an effect on our society.”
He added that those realities were the reason federal immigration statutes exist in the first place.
“That is why we have the Immigration and Nationality Act, immigration laws and a border,” Bovino said.
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The segment highlighted how Clinton-era Democrats openly defended deportation policies that today are often criticized or resisted by party leaders and progressive activists.
Clinton’s remarks reflected a period when enforcement of immigration law was framed as compatible with fairness and due process, rather than as an ideological or moral issue.
Roberts and Bovino both suggested that Clinton’s words illustrate a broader shift within the Democratic Party away from prioritizing border control and toward policies that critics argue weaken enforcement and strain public resources.