Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) stated on Wednesday that immigrants living in the United States illegally are the people Democrats "care about most."
Speaking with MSNBC host Chris Hayes about the failed border bill, Murphy admitted that the Democratic Party's "play" — which Hayes explained is to secure a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants — has "failed."
"That's been a failed play for 20 years. So you are right that that has been the Democratic strategy for 30 years, maybe, and it has failed to deliver for the people we care about most: the undocumented Americans that are in this country," Murphy said.
— (@)
For his part, Murphy acknowledged that "the bulk of this country" agrees the status quo — millions of migrants entering the U.S. each year under President Joe Biden — is unsustainable.
"So I know there’s a temptation for Democrats ... to just run the same play we always run because we know how to run it. But when it hasn't worked, and when the country is actually demanding that we do something to make the border more manageable, I think we do have a right and a responsibility to adjust to that reality," he admitted.
"Now, this bill still had in it some very important things for migrant rights, including a right to representation and earlier work permits, and the biggest expansion of visas in 30 years," Murphy celebrated. "It's not a pathway to citizenship, but it is something substantial for people that actually care about migrants."
Meanwhile, the Senate Democrat revealed an interesting factoid about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R): He "was in the room" during bill negotiations.
In a separate interview with NBC News, Murphy claimed that McConnell wrote the bill.
"He didn't just bless the deal. He wrote the deal," Murphy explained. "I have a ton of respect for his commitment to Ukraine. I genuinely enjoyed working with his team. They were in the room every single day. But it’s really worrying that a deal that was written and endorsed by the minority leader gets four votes from his caucus."
That detail, which hasn't been widely reported, is likely to intensify demands for McConnell to step down as leader of Senate Republicans because, in the eyes of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and other Republicans, the bill was "designed to lose."
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!