President Biden Faces Criticism for Referring to Alleged Killer of Georgia Student as “Illegal” During State of the Union Address
During his State of the Union address on Thursday, President Biden received boos from Republican lawmakers when he referred to the alleged killer of Georgia student Laken Riley as “an illegal.” However, this term contradicts the guidance from his own Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which had instructed staff to avoid using terms like “illegal alien.”
The incident occurred when Republican lawmakers heckled Biden to say the name of Laken Riley, who was allegedly murdered by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant last month in Georgia. Republicans have blamed the border crisis on Biden’s policies and have cited Riley’s death as a consequence of this crisis.
In response to the heckling, Biden picked up a button with Riley’s name on it, which had been distributed to lawmakers, and made reference to her. However, he misstated her first name as “Lincoln Riley.” Despite the context of referring to an alleged illegal immigrant murderer, the use of the term “illegal” has rankled some Democrats.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., took to Twitter to express her disapproval, stating, “Let me be clear: No human being is illegal.” Rep. Chuy Garcia, D-Ill., who is also an immigrant, expressed disappointment in Biden’s use of the term “illegal.”
For many on the left, the term “illegal” to refer to illegal immigrants has long been considered dehumanizing. They prefer terms like “undocumented” or simply calling them immigrants. Interestingly, the Biden administration itself has warned against using the term “illegal alien.” In 2021, a USCIS memo urged officials to use phrases like “undocumented individual” or “undocumented noncitizen” instead.
The DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have also adopted similar language in their press releases, using terms like “undocumented noncitizen” or “unlawfully present” to refer to illegal immigrants.
During his address, Biden focused on urging Congress to pass a bipartisan border agreement that includes provisions for staffing, funding, and a mechanism to curb entries into the U.S. when they exceed an average of 5,000 per day. However, conservatives argue that this mechanism normalizes already high levels of illegal immigration and believe that Biden should take direct action to address the border crisis.
Biden emphasized his willingness to fix the border and urged Congress to send him the border bill. However, critics argue that he has the power to address the border crisis without relying solely on Congress.
Overall, Biden’s use of the term “illegal” during his State of the Union address has drawn criticism from Republicans and some Democrats alike. The debate over the language used to refer to illegal immigrants continues to be a contentious issue, with ongoing discussions about the impact of these terms on the perception and treatment of individuals in the immigration system.
