Kelly: Biden administration did a ‘bad job’ at the border

Administration Kelly: Biden administration did a ‘bad job’ at the border Comments: by Ashleigh Fields - 06/28/26 11:08 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Ashleigh Fields - 06/28/26 11:08 AM ET Comments: Link copied

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Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) on Sunday echoed his critiques of the Biden administration’s border policies while appreciating the ability to break with the former president without fear of reprisal.

Kelly said the Biden administration created a “crisis at the southern border” with welcoming policies that allowed for undocumented immigrants to enter the country legally rather than turning them away.

“The Biden administration did a bad job at the border. Now, um, I am a border senator, I represent the state of Arizona, and this was affecting my constituents more than it was affecting, let’s say, Todd’s in Indiana,” he said referring to Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”

“So yes, I wound up in a situation with them where I had to do some unpopular things, and I think unpopular things for being a Democrat,” he added.

However, Kelly said his decision to break with Biden did not come with fear of retribution — unlike the second Trump administration. Kelly has come under heavy criticism from both President Trump and Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth over his public criticism of drone strikes on boats in the Caribbean.

“I think it’s harder,” Kelly said of a second Trump administration.

His comments come months after Trump accused him of seditious behavior punishable by death for creating a video, along with other members of Congress who had served in the military, that encouraged service members not to follow illegal orders.

The Pentagon under Hegseth sought to punish Kelly, a retired Navy Captain, over the video, but a federal judge blocked its actions.

Kelly noted that Republicans in the Senate who have criticized Trump have faced primary challengers backed by the president. He suggested that for some lawmakers critical of Trump, it’s actually easier if you are a Democrat.

“We understand the complexities of our own individual politics and certainly how complex it is, especially for Republicans with this administration in particular. It’s not — it’s, it’s, it’s really not — it’s — I’d say in this situation, it’s easier to be in the minority,” Kelly told Jonathan Karl.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is facing pressure from the White House to pass new legislation altering voting requirements and another funding package all while being encouraged to eliminate the filibuster in the upper chamber.

“To be in a majority and the leader of your party is, fair to say, very unconventional about how he approaches this job,” Kelly said of Trump.

“It is very complicated for them,” he added of Republicans.