Young Nevada Democrats calls out Biden for language on migrant
The group Young Democrats of Nevada’s executive board found fault with President Joe Biden for calling an undocumented immigrant an “illegal” during his State of the Union address last week.
Biden held up a pin that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Georgia, gave to him and highlighted Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student who was allegedly killed by a Venezuelan migrant.
The president, mispronouncing her name, referred to Riley as “an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal.”
Young Democrats of Nevada’s executive board said in a Monday statement that they watched the State of the Union address “with a spirit of hope and unity,” and celebrated the vision Biden laid out, “yet our optimism was challenged when the discussion turned sour.”
“Our dismay deepened when the President, in response to what we perceived as anti-immigrant sentiment from Republicans, used the term ‘illegal’ in reference to immigrants,” the executive board said in the statement. “This moment marked a departure from the inclusive narrative we advocate for.”
The board, whose sitting president is undocumented, said that the language is not merely a “semantic issue.”
“Immigrants, in every role and status, are fundamental to our nation’s fabric, enriching our communities and economies with their diverse contributions,” the executive board said in the statement. “Our discourse, therefore, must be rooted in respect and humanity for all.”
The White House declined to comment on the Young Democrats of Nevada’s statement, but the president has said he regretted using that term to describe the immigrant.
“An undocumented person,” Biden said in an exclusive interview with MSNBC. “And I shouldn’t have used ‘illegal.’ It’s ‘undocumented.’”
Young Democrats of Nevada’s executive board acknowledged and appreciated Biden’s response, saying it “demonstrates a willingness to recognize the impact of language in shaping discourse and public sentiment.”
“Moving forward, we hope that President Biden and his administration will continue to reflect on the profound influence of their words,” the executive board said in the statement.
On the other side of the aisle, Republicans lambasted Biden for regretting using the word.
Retweeted by the Nevada Republican Party, the GOP tweeted, “Biden is apologizing to an illegal immigrant arrested for murder. President Trump will stop criminals from entering the country.”
Also criticizing Biden, Trump doubled down on the use of the term “illegal,” calling the accused killer an “illegal” multiple times in a campaign speech in Georgia over the weekend.
“He was an illegal alien, he was an illegal immigrant, he was an illegal migrant,” Trump said. “And he shouldn’t have been in our country and he never would have been under the Trump policy. … And Biden should be apologizing for apologizing to this killer.”
Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.
