Biden blurted out "illegal immigration" and Democrats were "caught off guard"

Source: Observer Network

(Observer Network News) Anti immigration Republicans in the United States have frequently challenged the Biden administration on border issues recently. However, during his State of the Union address on March 7 local time, Biden suddenly used the phrase "illegal immigration", which is a favorite of Republicans, when responding to Republican lawmakers, which really caught many Democrats off guard.

According to the US Capitol Hill on March 7, when Biden mentioned the southern border issue in his speech, the Republican congressman and Trump's "iron ally" Marjorie Taylor Greene suddenly interrupted his words and shouted out the name of "Laken Riley". Riley is an American college student who was killed by Venezuelan immigrants. His death once ignited the debate on immigration in American society.

Rep. Green of the Republican Party suddenly got into trouble, and Biden picked up his brooch to respond./CNN

Biden, who was forced to stop speaking, took out a badge bearing Riley's name worn by many Republican lawmakers. He responded to Green: "Riley was killed by illegal immigrants. I feel sorry for the parents who lost their children, but how many of the thousands of people were killed by illegal immigrants?" Biden added that once the border policy was changed, people would turn to smugglers. He would not "demonize immigrants", but was ready to improve the relevant laws.

Biden mentioned "illegal immigrants" twice in his conversation, which was soon caught by the American media.

The USA Today report described the impromptu conversation between Biden and Green as "one of the most tense moments" that night. More interestingly, Biden said that immigrants were "illegal" when he mentioned them. This kind of phrase is usually used only by Republicans, while Democrats think it is an "outdated language".

CNN also noted that Biden's use of the term "illegal immigrants" is worthy of attention. The term "illegal immigrants" has long been regarded by immigration rights advocates as "inhuman stigmatization". Shortly after the Biden administration took office, the US immigration law enforcement agencies no longer used the description of "illegal alien" in official news. Biden's comprehensive immigration reform bill proposed in 2021 also proposed that the word "alien" should be replaced by "non citizen" in the immigration law.

Biden's use of words also caused dissatisfaction among Democratic politicians. CNN described Biden's speech as "catching Democrats off guard".

For example, Rep. Delia Ramirez told CNN that when Biden finished speaking, her mobile phone received a push immediately, which shocked her deeply. "This is really frustrating. I am the daughter of an immigrant, and my husband has no identity. When you say 'illegal', what's the difference between what you said and what Green repeatedly said? We can't use such words, because the words are very important. It's too unfortunate that these words should not come from the President."

Representative Chuy Garcia also said that he was "very disappointed" that Biden used the word "illegal immigration" in his speech.

Illegal immigrants at Texas border/CCTV news client

As the general election in November this year approaches, the confrontation between the two parties on immigration policy in the United States has become increasingly fierce.

Last December, the number of illegal border crossings between the United States and Mexico hit a new monthly record of nearly 250000. Republicans constantly challenged the Biden administration, stressed the importance of maintaining border security, and pressured the White House to take a tough attitude. At the same time, Republican lawmakers also asked to bind border security measures with the comprehensive aid bill for Ukraine and Israel, which also led to a long delay in the Senate.

Biden's State of the Union speech on March 7 lasted one hour and seven minutes. It was the third State of the Union speech in his presidency and the last one in his current term. Biden mentioned Trump at least 16 times, but never mentioned his name.

In addition to the issue of immigration, Biden also expressed his views on issues with serious differences between the two parties, such as abortion rights and domestic economy. In response to the Russian Ukrainian conflict and the Palestinian Israeli conflict, Biden reiterated his support for Ukraine and Israel, but also made it clear that he would not send troops to Ukraine. At the same time, he warned the Israeli government to put humanitarian first.

This article is the exclusive contribution of Observer Network, and cannot be reproduced without authorization.

Editor in charge: Trish