House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Screen Capture)

(CNSNews.com) - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) declared yesterday that “Democrats are for securing our borders”--in the context of making an argument for why Americans should support her in opposing one of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

Pelosi made the remarks about the border and immigration policy in a statement that started out making her case against an op-ed President Trump published yesterday in USA Today opposing the “Medicare for All” plan. She backed up her statements about immigration by invoking President Ronald Reagan.

“On immigration, Democrats are for securing our borders, protecting Dreamers, opposing the Trump Administration’s family separation policy and passing bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform,” said Pelosi in her statement. “As President Reagan said in his last speech as President, ‘Thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land of opportunity, we’re a nation forever young, forever bursting with energy and new ideas, and always on the cutting edge, always leading the world to the next frontier. This quality is vital to our future as a nation. If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.’”

“Medicare for All” is a bill sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. On his website explaining the bill, Sanders says: “The only long-term solution to America’s health care crisis is a single-payer national health care program.”

Here is the full text of Pelosi’s statement about President Trump’s position on “Medicare for All” and her position on immigration:

“President Trump’s USA Today Op-Ed is the latest pronouncement of dishonesty from Republicans desperate to hide the truth about the past two years of GOP attacks on Medicare, on protections for pre-existing conditions, and on affordable health care.

“The facts are these:

"President Trump’s Justice Department is in federal court backing a Republican lawsuit to strike down protections for 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions.

"Every year of his presidency, House Republicans’ budget proposals have called for approximately $500 billion in cuts to Medicare and at least $1 trillion cut from Medicaid, which seniors rely on for long-term care.

"And while the Affordable Care Act endures because of the outcry of the American people, Republicans have done everything they can to sabotage Americans’ health coverage, driving up premiums across America, and have refused to take action to address the rising cost of prescription drugs.

“Because they know they cannot defend their abysmal record on the health care and other kitchen table issues that matter most to hard-working Americans, Republicans want to distract and divide with false attacks on Democrats’ positions. On immigration, Democrats are for securing our borders, protecting Dreamers, opposing the Trump Administration’s family separation policy and passing bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform. As President Reagan said in his last speech as President, ‘Thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land of opportunity, we’re a nation forever young, forever bursting with energy and new ideas, and always on the cutting edge, always leading the world to the next frontier. This quality is vital to our future as a nation. If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.’

“Republicans are for the special interests. Democrats are For The People: lower health care costs and prescription drug prices, increase pay through strong economic growth by rebuilding America, and clean up corruption to make Washington work for the American people.