During President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech Tuesday night, he sharply criticized Democrats for the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which entered its 11th day.
Trump described his administration’s immigration enforcement efforts as a “turnaround for the ages,” claiming that under the previous administration, “11,888 murderers” were allowed into the United States. He stated: “After four years in which millions and millions of illegal aliens poured across our borders, totally unvetted and unchecked, we now have the strongest and most secure border in American history by far. In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States.”
The president highlighted that his administration has hired 12,000 additional ICE officers and agents and removed an estimated 3 million illegal aliens during his first year—including 2.2 million self-deportations and 675,000 deportations.
Trump attended the speech with the parents of Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old National Guard soldier who was fatally shot in Washington, D.C., allegedly by an Afghan man allowed into the country during former President Joe Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal. He also joined the event with Dalilah Coleman, a child injured in a multi-car wreck at age five due to a truck driven by an illegal alien.
The president condemned Democrats for the shutdown, which has forced DHS to implement emergency measures including halting FEMA non-disaster response efforts, Global Entry, and airport police escorts for Congress members. “As we speak, Democrats in this chamber have cut off all funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” Trump said. “Now they have closed the agency responsible for protecting Americans from terrorists and murderers. Tonight, I am demanding the full and immediate restoration of all funding for the border security, Homeland Security of the United States.”
Trump challenged lawmakers to stand up in support: “If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support. The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.” While Republican lawmakers stood, most Democrats remained seated. Trump told those who refused to stand: “You should be ashamed of yourself.” He also called for Congress to “end deadly sanctuary cities” and pass the SAVE America Act, which would prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem previously noted that Democrats had caused three shutdowns during the 119th Congress. “Shutdowns have real-world consequences,” she stated. “They not only affect DHS employees who go without a paycheck but also endanger our national security.”
Negotiations to end the shutdown remain stalled, with Democrats demanding reforms to ICE. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated: “It is our view that immigration enforcement in this country should be fair, it should be just, and it should be humane.” He added: “That’s not what’s happening now in the United States of America, and that’s why ICE needs to be reformed in a dramatic, bold, meaningful, and transformational manner.”
