Biden knocks Trump's immigration rhetoric, but calls accused killer 'an illegal'
President Biden slammed former President Trump on immigration during his Thursday State of the Union address, denouncing his predecessor’s rhetoric and actions on the border, but then echoed some of that rhetoric by referring to a Venezuelan national as “an illegal.”
Biden’s remarks came in response to GOP heckling demanding he mention the name of Laken Riley, a woman whose alleged slaying by said Venezuelan national has become political fodder.
The president mentioned Riley’s name after it was called out by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), saying she was murdered by “an illegal,” adding “that’s right, but how many thousands of people are killed by illegals?”
“To her parents I say my heart goes out to you having lost children myself, I understand.”
Biden then made the case to revive the failed bipartisan Senate border policy deal.
After his legislative pitch, he listed the things he “will not do” on immigration.
"I will not demonize immigrants saying they 'poison the blood of our country' as he said in his own words," Biden said, referring to Trump.
"I will not separate families. I will not ban people from America because of their faith," he added, in reference to Trump's zero tolerance policy and so-called "Muslim ban."
Biden is attempting to thread the needle on immigration, staking a border security claim based on the Senate deal, while pitching a pro-immigrant, humanitarian vision.
"Unlike my predecessor, on my first day in office I introduced a comprehensive plan to fix our immigration system, secure the border, and provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and so much more," he said.
Biden made the case that immigration is at the core of American identity.
"Because unlike my predecessor, I know who we are as Americans," he said.
"We are the only nation in the world with a heart and soul that draws from old and new."
Before reprising his pitch to revive the border deal, which would have added funding to more effectively process asylum applications, Biden summarized the country's immigration story.
"Home to Native Americans whose ancestors have been here for thousands of years. Home to people from every place on Earth. Some came freely. Some chained by force. Some when famine struck, like my ancestral family in Ireland," he said.
"Some to flee persecution. Some to chase dreams that are impossible anywhere but here in America. That’s America, where we all come from somewhere, but we are all Americans."