Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, widely seen as one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the Senate this November, released an ad on Friday touting his strength on immigration. This prompted a backlash from Republicans, whose voting record highlighted seemingly contradictory positions.
“Every day, 12 Ohioans die from a drug overdose,” Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said in the Brown ad. released on friday before being joined by two other Ohio sheriffs.
“And some of the most dangerous drugs are brought here illegally,” continued Summit County Sheriff Candy Fatherly. “Sherrod Brown sponsored the legislation President Trump signed to crack down on illegal drugs being smuggled across the border,” said Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdallah Jr.
The 30-second ad also said Brown is “working to punish” the Chinese companies and Mexican cartels that bring fentanyl into the country.
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senator sherrod brown (Joshua A. Bickel/Bloomberg)
“Sherrod Brown has always stood up for us,” Abdallah added, before Baldwin said, “He is fighting to keep our community safe.”
Immigration is expected to be a major focus in the Ohio Senate race, and Fox News Digital looked at Brown’s voting record and found several instances of him voting against border drug enforcement.
In August 2022, CBP Acting Director Brown sent $500 million to the Border Patrol for drug detection at the border, funding needed to install hundreds of millions of unused fentanyl testing devices. Voted against the proposed amendment. said at the time.
Brown’s vote proved consequential. fix failed By a 50-50 vote.
Brown, March 2021 voted against Amendment to send $300 million in coronavirus stimulus funds to CBP for drug and opioid detection. The effort failed in the Senate 48-50, with two senators not voting.
Additionally, Brown has repeatedly voted against legislation cracking down on illegal immigration.
In May 2019, Brown original sponsor Ending the Mass Deportation Act, which prioritizes the removal of some criminally illegal immigrants and rescinds a Trump executive order that allows DHS to withhold federal funds from sanctuary jurisdictions.
Shortly after arriving in Washington, D.C., Brown voted against The proposed amendment aims to prevent undocumented immigrants from receiving Social Security benefits for illegal work, while also capping student loan repayments at 15% of discretionary income.
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Hundreds of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, cross the Mexico-US border in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, crossing the Rio Grande to seek humanitarian asylum. (David Peinado/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Regarding other proposed amendments during the coronavirus pandemic, Brown said: voted against Republican Sen. Tom Cotton’s March 2021 measure would have directed the Senate Finance Committee to ensure coronavirus funding is restricted from sanctuary jurisdictions. The amendment failed 48-50, with two senators not voting.
Earlier this month, Brown voted against an amendment aimed at preventing illegal immigrants from being counted in the census, which determines congressional apportionment and electoral votes. Not a single Senate Democrat voted in favor of the bill. He died in his room.
Brown has repeatedly spoken out against President Trump’s efforts to build a border wall, including when the president issued a statement in February 2019. a scathing statement Allocated funds to build a border wall during government shutdown discussions in response to President Trump’s “declaration of a national emergency at the southern border.”
“The president’s decision to take funding away from the military to support vanity projects is reckless and irresponsible,” Brown said. “The president is wasting his time making important decisions like protecting pensions for millions of workers and retirees, lowering prescription drug prices, and rewriting the tax code to ease the burden on Americans.” You continue to hurt the people who make this country work by getting in the way of their work.”
“Instead of building a wall, the president should pass a bill to pay back pay to contract workers hurt by the government shutdown.”
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Former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Monaka Appeared on CNN IIn 2019, Brown was asked about former Democratic Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s call to tear down the border wall in El Paso, saying it was ineffective, and Brown didn’t deny it, saying the country has He suggested there was no need for a “long wall.” . ”
“I don’t believe there’s a border wall within 19 miles. I’m behind everyone when it comes to border security and that we have the technology, the helicopters, the border agents to develop our country. “It’s clear that we’ve learned over time to do things safely without building long walls and to minimize illegal crossings,” Brown said.
“It’s a decision that has to be made considering the totality of the circumstances. It’s not good for this councilor to say we’re going to demolish this place and this councilor to say we’re going to build there. I want to see it.”
senate rejected the proposal IIf that happens in 2013, permanent legal status for many undocumented immigrants will be delayed until 700 miles of double border fencing is built. The vote was rejected by a vote of 39-54, with Brown among the Democrats voting against it.
This week, Mr. Brown joined all other Senate Democrats. vote against Amendment 51-47 would have prohibited Biden from putting immigrants on charter flights and settling them across the United States at taxpayer expense.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, Democrat of Ohio and Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, during a public hearing in Washington, D.C., June 22, 2023. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
His critics say Brown’s voting record on illegal immigration paints a different picture than the ad released Friday.
“Sherrod Brown is lying to the people of Ohio about his record on border security,” Reagan McCarthy, communications director for Brown’s opponent, Ohio Republican Bernie Moreno, told Fox News Digital.
“Time and time again, Brown has opposed deportations, border wall funding, minimum mandates for illegal immigrants, and voted in favor of sanctuary cities. He is in line with Biden and D.C. Democrats. Together, they voted to create this border invasion and fentanyl surge.Ohioans will be sending him packing in November.”
“No matter how many lies they lied in an election year, Sherrod Brown and Joe Biden will open our borders and allow people into our country,” Philip Lettu, deputy communications director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told Fox News Digital. We can’t change the fact that we worked together to achieve this.” They will be injected with fentanyl. ”
“Brown is an open borders extremist who has done everything he can to make life difficult for hard-working Ohioans.”
Jessica Vaughn, director of policy research at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital that Brown’s ad “diverts voters’ attention away from the devastation caused by illegal immigration caused by Biden’s policies and highlights some gestures toward the drug crisis.” I’m trying to do that,” he said. ”
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) during a Senate vote at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images) (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
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Vaughn continued, “Voters, however, believe that he is fully on board with Biden’s open borders policy, supports the recent catch-and-release bill proposed in the Senate, and supports several policies aimed at curbing this. “They are likely to find themselves helping to block that very focused Republican bill.” This is a historic flood of illegal immigrants. ”
“There is no doubt that Sen. Brown is concerned about the opioid problem, but he is either naive or dishonest to pretend that the problem is not enabled by mass immigration and open border policies. Voters correctly connect the two and will not be fooled. Mr. Brown and others avoid acknowledging the reasons for the exacerbation of the border crisis and, by extension, the deadly illegal drug crisis. Senators can also run, but they cannot hide their current position.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Brown’s campaign but did not receive a response.
The fight between Brown and Moreno in November is seen by many as one of the Republicans’ best chances to regain the Senate majority, which Democrats currently hold by a 51-49 margin. It will be one of the most watched races in the country.
