Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) was endorsed by the largest union of border patrol agents Monday just a couple of years after the labor group backed then-candidate Donald Trump.
The National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) has represented agents and staff within the United States Border Patrol since it was established in 1967. The union often supports candidates on both sides of the political divide when others in the labor movement primarily back Democrats. Heitkamp is running for re-election in North Dakota.
“In the Senate, Heidi Heitkamp has been leading the charge for stronger border security and has been a tireless advocate for the brave men and women of the border patrol,” NBPC President Brandon Judd said in a statement. “Heidi worked across the aisle to update the Northern Border strategy and has been dogged in her determination to support personnel at the border.”
Heitkamp faces Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) in her bid for a second Senate term. President Donald Trump handily carried North Dakota in 2016 and is actively backing Cramer. The race is a toss-up at the moment, according to polls.
The NBPC had a longstanding practice of not endorsing presidential candidates in the primaries. But the union decided to break with that tradition in 2016 to back Trump, citing his aggressive commitment to securing the national borders. North Dakota shares a 310-mile border with Canada and in recent years has become a major oil-producing state.
The NBPC on April 3 also endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for his firm convictions and stance on the border. The Texas senator is seeking a second term in an unexpectedly close race with Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas).
Related: Trump Bashes ‘Open Border Radicals’ for Attacking ICE Officers and Others
“During these partisan times, Heidi has been a rare, steady voice for increased border security and common-sense solutions to tackle the immigration challenges facing our nation,” Judd said. “North Dakota is lucky to have such a tough, law-and-order senator like Heidi — and as border patrol agents, we’re firmly behind her campaign.”
“I’m proud to accept the National Border Patrol Council’s endorsement,” Heitkamp said in response to the endorsement. “There’s no question we need to do more to secure our borders — and I’ve worked across the aisle to do just that. In the Senate, I’ve worked with both parties to strengthen the Northern and Southern Borders — and I’ll always be a strong voice for our border patrol agents and the folks who keep our communities strong and safe for the future.”
Heitkamp was one of only three Democrats to support Kate’s Law, a measure Republicans introduced to establish and strengthen penalties for illegal re-entry into the country. The law was named for Kathryn Steinle, who was killed by an illegal immigrant in the sanctuary city of San Francisco. The bill stalled after the U.S. House of Representatives passed it in 2017.
Heitkamp doesn’t always align with conservatives when it comes to border security issues. She supports continuing funding for sanctuary cities, for instance. The policy has been adopted by some of the more progressives cities and regions that refuse to help to help federal officials enforce immigration laws.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee accused her of trying to rewrite her record on immigration, given her stance on sanctuary cities and her vote to give amnesty to dreamers, immigrants who were brought into the country illegally as minors and who received a protected status under former President Barack Obama under the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.
Heitkamp opposes calls for abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), calling such talk “crazy town,” according to The New York Times. The federal agency enforces immigration laws but has been embroiled in controversy over a policy of temporarily separating children from the adults that took them into the country illegally.
Democratic lawmakers and congressional candidates elsewhere have called for ICE to be either abolished or severely reduced in terms of its authority and manpower. New York Democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was followed by a growing group of others when she made abolishing ICE one of the central issues of her midterm election campaign.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) are also among the leading Democratic politicians to embrace abolishing ICE. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) has introduced legislation to dismantle the agency and to establish a commission to create an alternative to the present immigration system.
Related: Hysteria Aside, Losing Track of Immigrant Kids Nothing New
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced May 7 that all immigrants crossing the border illegally would be arrested. But the policy resulted in an estimated 2,400 children being separated from their assumed families. Many illegal immigrants arrested at the border with children ask for asylum, a process that can take longer than the 20 days federal officials can hold minors.
Trump modified his original decision June 20 and instructed officials with ICE and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to keep adults and children together, pending resolution of their legal status. The U.S. Health and Human Services has cited a 1997 court settlement that put the 20-day restriction on immigration officials.
ICE now has more than 20,000 employees in more than 400 offices in the United States and 46 foreign countries.
A recent Harvard-Harris survey found that 69 percent of registered voters in the U.S. believe the agency should not be abolished.
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