Former President Bill Clinton specifically addressed two major issues during his State of the Union address back in 1995: the economy and immigration.
While his remarks on the economy — namely encouraging lawmakers to “cut more spending” and to “empower the American people to succeed in the global economy” — have been regularly repeated by his modern Democrats, his remarks on immigration and securing the border are a stunning contrast.
“All Americans, not only in the States most heavily affected but in every place in this country, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country,” then-President Clinton said from the floor of the House of Representatives.
He added: “The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public service they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. That’s why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens.”
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President William Jefferson Clinton specifically addressed immigration during a Joint Session of the Congress at the State of the Union in 1995. (Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
During Thursday night’s State of the Union address, Biden is expected to address immigration as his presidency has witnessed historic crossing at the U.S.-Mexico border — nearly 7.3 million under his presidency, according to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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That figure is larger than the population of 36 U.S. states and does not include an estimated additional 1.8 million known “gotaways,” who evaded law enforcement.
In various public remarks, Biden has contended the border is secure and that crossing levels reflect a seasonal surge.
Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich sits with Vice President Al Gore, laughing during President Clinton’s State of the Union address to Congress. (Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
Then-President Clinton said in 1995 that Americans are “rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country.” (Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
In the 1995 speech, Clinton said he would crack down on illegal crossings and would increase deportations of those migrants who commit crimes.
“In the budget I will present to you, we will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes, to better identify illegal aliens in the workplace as recommended by the commission headed by former [Democratic] Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. We are a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of laws,” the former president said. “It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it.”
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Nearly 7.3 million migrants have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border under Biden’s presidency. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Immigration and border security has risen to be a top concern among voters ahead of November’s general election. (Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Immigration and border security have risen to be top concerns among voters ahead of November’s general election, and the leading presidential candidates, Biden and former President Trump, could not be more opposed.
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The issue has returned to the forefront of mainstream media headlines in the wake of the murder of University of Georgia student Laken Riley.
Potential voters in November’s general election will undoubtedly be listening to Biden’s words Thursday night and whether he mentions Riley, the border or Trump.
