In his State of the Union address on Thursday, President Biden urged Republican lawmakers to support a bipartisan immigration compromise that recently stalled in Congress, accusing them of obstructing progress for political reasons.
Referring to his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, Biden stated, “I’m told my predecessor called members of Congress in the Senate to demand they block the bill.” He called on Congressional Republicans to prioritize the needs of the American people by passing the proposed immigration legislation. “Send me the border bill now!” he emphasized.
The proposed compromise, negotiated by Biden’s administration and a bipartisan group of senators, aimed to tighten asylum rules and grant broader authority to U.S. border officials to deport migrants during surges in illegal immigration. Additionally, it proposed increasing legal immigration levels and allocating additional funding for border operations and personnel, including immigration judges, asylum officers, and Border Patrol agents.
While some Republicans demanded stringent limits on asylum as a condition for supporting border funding and military aid to Ukraine, many rejected the immigration deal, arguing it was insufficiently strict. Trump publicly opposed the legislation, instructing Republicans to oppose it.
Biden emphasized the potential lifesaving impact of the agreement, urging Trump to support the compromise instead of politicizing the issue.
During Biden’s address, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene heckled the president, prompting him to address the case of Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student killed last month by a Venezuelan migrant who crossed the border illegally. Biden expressed condolences to Riley’s family, holding up a button with her name given to him by Greene.
Under Biden’s administration, the U.S. has faced unprecedented levels of migration and a resulting humanitarian and operational crisis along the U.S.-Mexico border. Despite processing a record 2.4 million migrants at the southern border in fiscal year 2023, the situation has presented significant political challenges for Biden’s reelection campaign.
Immigration remains one of Biden’s lowest-ranking issues in public opinion polls, with criticism coming from both Republicans and Democrats. While Biden did not announce any new immigration measures, he has reportedly considered using presidential authority to restrict asylum, a move likely to provoke legal challenges.
While advocating for tougher border policies, Biden emphasized his differences with Trump, pledging not to demonize immigrants or implement family separations or faith-based bans.
