President Biden called the suspect who killed Georgia student Laken Riley a “lawless offender” during Thursday’s State of the Union address. But the term stands in contrast to guidance from the Department of Homeland Security, which had instructed staff to stop using the term. Like “illegal alien.”
Biden was heckled by Republican lawmakers after he mentioned the name of Laken Riley, who was allegedly killed by an illegal Venezuelan immigrant in Georgia last month. Republicans blame the deaths on the border crisis and Biden policies. In his speech, Biden reiterated his call for Congress to pass bipartisan border legislation.
But Biden picked up a button handed out to lawmakers with Riley’s name on it and mentioned her, but misspelled her first name.
Biden administration asks Department of Homeland Security officials to stop using “illegal alien” in favor of “inclusive” language
President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at the Capitol in Washington. Vice President Kamala Harris is standing on the left, and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) is sitting on the right. (Shaun Hsu/Pool via AP) (Shaun Hsu/Pool via AP)
“Lincoln Riley” [sic]”An innocent young woman killed by an illegal alien, that’s right,” he said.
The use of the term “illegal,” even in reference to the alleged killer of illegal immigrants, worried some Democrats.
“Let me be clear: Humans are not illegal,” Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, said on X (formerly Twitter).
House Republicans focus on border chaos in video series on ‘Biden’s Face of the Union in Crisis’
“As a proud immigrant, I am deeply disappointed to hear President Biden use the word ‘illegal,'” said Rep. Chuy Garcia, D-Ill., in a statement.
Many on the left have for years opposed the use of the term “illegal” to refer to illegal immigrants, arguing that it is dehumanizing, preferring terms such as “illegal aliens,” or simply referring to them as immigrants. I sometimes call it that.
It’s also a term the Biden administration itself has warned against using. In 2021, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) memo urged officials to refer to people as “illegal aliens” or “illegal aliens” rather than “illegal aliens.”
“This change is intended to encourage more inclusive language across the agency’s outreach efforts, internal documents, and communications with stakeholders, partners, and the public,” a spokesperson said at the time. . “This guidance does not affect laws, policies, or other operational documents, including forms, where it is most appropriate to use terms as defined in the Immigration and Nationality Act (applicant, petitioner, etc.). plug.”
Since then, “illegal aliens” commonly used References to illegal immigrants in DHS press releases. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also often refers to people who are “illegally present” in the country.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Biden focused Thursday on pushing Congress to pass a bipartisan border deal that includes staffing, funding and a mechanism to halt entry of more than 5,000 people a day into the United States. But conservatives say the arrangement would normalize already high levels of illegal immigration and allow Biden himself to fix the border.
“Folks, this was a simple choice,” Biden said. “We can fight to fix the border. Or we can fix the border. I’m ready to fix the border. Send us a border bill now.”
