The White House defends Biden’s compassion for migrants despite having said ‘illegal’

• Joe Biden is being highly criticized
• Use a word that caused controversy
• He is compared to Donald Trump

On Friday, the White House defended the «compassion» expressed by United States President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address regarding migration.

However, the president’s use of the term «illegal» during the speech has sparked criticism from several lawmakers within his own party.

While Biden emphasized the need to address the immigration issue with empathy and humanity, some members of Congress expressed disagreement with the language used.

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They defend Biden

In a meeting with a small group of journalists from various media outlets, including EFE, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre issued a statement.

She called for context regarding the use of «illegal» in response to provocations from Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.

The congresswoman asked Biden to say the name of Laken Riley, a Georgia student allegedly killed by a Venezuelan immigrant.

In response, the president said, «Laken Riley was an innocent young woman who was killed by an undocumented immigrant.»

Biden lost his children

Biden also expressed his condolences to Riley’s parents and acknowledged the suffering they must be experiencing due to the loss of their daughter.

This sentiment, he mentioned, is one he knows well because he lost his one-year-old daughter, Naomi, in a traffic accident in 1972, and in 2015, his son Beau passed away from cancer.

Although he used the term «illegal,» Jean-Pierre reminded on Friday, the president took the opportunity in his speech to allude to the anguish of migrants.

He pointed out that, according to himself, migrants often have to pay up to $8,000 to attempt to cross the border and enter the United States.

The young woman lost her life

The spokesperson stated that Biden spoke compassionately, referring to a young woman allegedly killed by someone who crossed illegally.

He asserted that the president improvised while attempting to address the tragedy.

«So he speaks in a compassionate way. There was someone who allegedly crossed illegally, and that young woman, sadly, was killed,» the spokesperson said.

«That’s what he was referring to. And did he improvise? Yes, he was improvising, trying to acknowledge the death of that young woman,» he added.

Joe Biden is being highly criticized

Hispanic lawmakers from the Democratic Party and local migrant advocacy organizations criticized Biden for using the term «illegal.»

For instance, Democratic Congressman Chuy García, who was born in Mexico, expressed being «deeply disappointed to hear him use the word ‘illegal.'»

Additionally, lawmaker Joaquín Castro opined that Biden’s language is «dangerously close» to that of Trump, who referred to migrants as «illegals.»

Other legislators, such as progressive Cori Bush and Delia Ramírez, of Guatemalan descent, posted in response on the social media platform X: «No human being is illegal.»

They ask to use another word

Similarly, in an interview last night with CNN, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi acknowledged that Biden should have used the word «undocumented.»

This is a term that Democrats typically use to refer to migrants who cross the border irregularly, but she tried to downplay the issue.

Major organizations like LULAC and UnidosUS did not issue criticisms, but smaller local groups did question Biden.

Yareliz Méndez-Zamora, campaign director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, emphasized in a statement in capital letters: «NO HUMAN BEING IS ILLEGAL!»

Disappointed in the president

Meanwhile, Natalia Aristizábal, deputy director of ‘Make the Road New York,’ described Biden’s comments as «deeply disappointing.»

She emphasized that migrant communities «know all too well how hate speech fuels fanaticism and leads to violence.»

This political approach aims to capitalize on public discontent and gain electoral support. However, these strategies can also further polarize the national debate on immigration.

Amidst these tensions, it is crucial to find solutions that effectively and humanely address the immigration challenges facing the United States.