President Joe Biden faced criticism from Democratic lawmakers on Thursday for his use of the term “illegals” during his State of the Union address.
Biden made the reference after Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) pressed him to acknowledge Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student allegedly murdered by an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, according to police. However, Biden inadvertently referred to her as “Lincoln Riley” during his speech.
“Lincoln Riley!” Biden exclaimed. “An innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal. That’s right. But how many of the thousands of people being killed by illegals? To her parents, I say, my heart goes out to you having lost children myself. I understand.”
While advocating for amnesty for millions of undocumented immigrants and urging Republican support for a Democrat-backed bill to secure the border, Biden’s use of the term “illegals” drew criticism from within his own party.
“As a proud immigrant, I’m extremely disappointed to hear President Biden use the word ‘illegal,’” stated Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-IL).
“Disappointed that @POTUS would use such dehumanizing right-wing rhetoric to speak about immigrants tonight. No human being is illegal,” remarked Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL).
“Let me be clear: No human being is illegal,” emphasized Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) in a post after the speech.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, expressed disappointment with Biden’s terminology regarding undocumented immigrants. “I wish he hadn’t engaged with Marjorie Taylor Greene and used the word illegal,” she commented.
“Just like we should not be implementing Republican policy, we should not be repeating Republican rhetoric,” added Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA).
The Biden administration has previously aimed to eliminate the use of terms like “illegal alien” or “illegal immigrant,” opting for terms like “newcomers” or “undocumented.”
“This change is designed to encourage more inclusive language in the agency’s outreach efforts, internal documents, and in overall communication with stakeholders, partners, and the general public,” stated the Department of Homeland Security regarding its decision to discontinue the use of the term “illegal alien.”
Biden has faced Republican criticism over his handling of the border, with House Republicans sporting pins reading “Stop The Biden Border Crisis” at the State of the Union.
