Video Surfaces From 2006 of Joe Biden Supporting Border Fence and Sounding A LOT Like Trump!

Will Biden break with party lines to support what he said were "facts" back in 2006 during the primaries?

It's doubtful, but I guess you never know.

Fox News had the following to say about the video:

Former Vice President Joe Biden, while a senator in 2006, advocated for a southern border wall and punishment for employers who hired illegal immigrants.

Biden told a South Carolina rotary club that he voted for a border fence despite other Democrats opposing the measure.

"Folks, I voted for a fence, I voted, and unlike most Democrats -- and some of you won't like it -- I voted for 700 miles of fence," he said, in the video unearthed by CNN.

"But, let me tell you, we can build a fence 40 stories high -- unless you change the dynamic in Mexico and -- and you will not like this, and -- punish American employers who knowingly violate the law when, in fact, they hire illegals. Unless you do those two things, all the rest is window dressing," he added.

The video came as Biden entered the race to be his party's challenger against President Donald Trump during the 2020 elections. One of the top criticisms from Democrats has surrounded Trump's tough immigration stances and, in particular, his demand for a barrier across the southern border.

Biden, in the video, indicated he was more concerned about drugs than he was about immigrants themselves crossing the border.

"Now, I know I'm not supposed to say it that bluntly, but they're the facts, they're the facts. And so everything else we do is in between here. Everything else we do is at the margins. And the reason why I add that parenthetically, why I believe the fence is needed does not have anything to do with immigration as much as drugs," he told the audience.

It's unclear what Biden's thoughts on the wall are now that it's become a central platform of the Trump agenda. Biden, perceived as more of a moderate Democrat, has pushed for tougher security through enhanced technological capabilities as an alternative to barriers.

CNN also commented:

Joe Biden once spoke about jailing employers who hire "illegals," said sanctuary cities shouldn't be allowed to violate federal law, and argued a fence was needed stop "tons" of drugs coming into the country from "corrupt Mexico."

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Then-Sen. Biden's past comments, which he made in the run-up to and during the 2008 presidential race, show an approach to the issue of immigration that could run afoul of the party's more liberal wing as Biden seeks the Democratic nomination to take on President Donald Trump in 2020. It also shows how Biden's long record in government can at times provide a contrast to where the Democratic Party has evolved in recent years. 

Speaking to a South Carolina rotary club in November 2006, Biden touted his support for the Secure Fence Act -- a bill that authorized 700 miles of double-layered fence on the border through more than a billion dollars in appropriations. The bill was also supported by then-Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. CNN's KFile reviewed the video, which had been posted on YouTube at the time.

"Folks, I voted for a fence, I voted, unlike most Democrats -- and some of you won't like it -- I voted for 700 miles of fence," Biden told the group. "But, let me tell you, we can build a fence 40 stories high -- unless you change the dynamic in Mexico and  -- and you will not like this, and -- punish American employers who knowingly violate the law when, in fact, they hire illegals. Unless you do those two things, all the rest is window dressing."

"Now, I know I'm not supposed to say it that bluntly, but they're the facts, they're the facts. And so everything else we do is in between here. Everything else we do is at the margins. And the reason why I add that parenthetically, why I believe the fence is needed does not have anything to do with immigration as much as drugs," Biden continued. "And let me tell you something folks, people are driving across that border with tons, tons, hear me, tons of everything from byproducts for methamphetamine to cocaine to heroin and it's all coming up through corrupt Mexico."

Biden's decades-long record on several issues -- including criminal justice and financial regulation -- has come under scrutiny as he seeks the Democratic presidential nomination for the third time. Biden, along with other candidates like Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris, has had to contend with harmonizing his record with a more liberal Democratic Party. 

But his past comments on a border barrier and sanctuary cities are similar to positions Trump has taken as President -- stances that many Democratic candidates have attacked during the campaign.