Democrat Representative Eric Sorensen attributes border crisis to climate change

Illinois Democrat describes himself as ‘meteorologist,’ though he doesn’t meet federal standards for that title

Rep. Eric Sorensen (D., Ill.) says climate change is driving “violence” and “chaos” in Central America, causing residents to flood the U.S. border.

During an interview with a regional PBS affiliate last week, the first-term congressman was asked about the ongoing border crisis, which polling has consistently shown to be a top issue for voters in the upcoming elections. The congressman blamed climate change.

“We’re seeing so much stress and violence in Central America, we’re seeing the effects of a changing climate that is causing the chaos, and that’s why people are migrating to the north,” the Illinois Democrat said. Sorensen frequently touts his credentials as a “meteorologist,” suggesting it makes him “a trusted information source” on climate matters. Just days after being sworn in, he declared himself the “Chief Meteorologist and climate communicator in Congress.” Sorensen, however, does not meet federal standards required to be a meteorologist, the Washington Free Beacon reported in October.

The Illinois Democrat faces a competitive reelection bid in November, during which border security is poised to be one of the most important issues facing candidates, as illegal border crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border have surged to record-breaking levels.

A Wall Street Journal poll conducted in mid-March, which surveyed registered voters in seven swing states, found immigration to be among the top two issues for voters in every state, next to the economy. Additionally, that poll found that at least 72 percent of respondents from each state said the country’s policy on immigration and border security was going in the wrong direction under President Biden.

Neither Rep. Sorensen nor his campaign responded to the Free Beacon’s requests for comment.

Sorensen addressed Congress in a May floor speech to espouse his opposition to H.R. 2, a GOP-led border security bill that would have resumed the construction of a border wall, increased Border Patrol agents between ports of entry, and invested in technology for the border. “The bill in front of us today does nothing to address the root causes of our system’s backlog, and only serves to gut our asylum ability,” Sorensen said.

Sorensen’s notion of tackling the unprecedented migrant surge via addressing “root causes” in Central America is in line with the Biden administration’s talking points. The Biden administration has consistently pointed to “root causes,” rather than policy changes, as the main catalyst for the crisis. Earlier this month, the White House released a memo praising Vice President Kamala Harris’s work to address the “root causes” of illegal migration, which included bolstering “climate resilience” in Central America.

Sorensen seems to be closely aligned with Biden when it comes to the question of a border wall as well. Shortly after beginning his presidency, President Biden rebuked the construction of any additional border walls after Trump built roughly 500 miles of primary and secondary border barriers during his tenure. Similarly, Sorensen rebuked the notion of a border wall in the past, arguing in a 2019 post on X, formerly Twitter, “We don’t need border walls.”

However, as the crisis at the southern border got increasingly worse, President Biden reversed course and resumed the Trump-era construction of some border barriers. Sorensen was asked about what he thought appropriate border security was during his interview with PBS last week and responded that “a wall in a rural area” was among potential solutions.