As President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address amid a Department of Homeland Security funding lapse, some Democrats are inviting guests tied to immigration issues while others plan to boycott the event. The Department of Homeland Security has criticized these invitations, highlighting recent arrests of immigrants with criminal convictions. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Sen. Alex Padilla will provide the Democratic responses.
The State of the Union address on Tuesday occurs against the backdrop of a funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security over federal immigration enforcement tactics. Congressional Democrats have demanded policy changes, fueled by the killing of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota by immigration agents.
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) invited Marcelo Gomes da Silva, who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for an expired student visa. Moulton's office stated that Gomes da Silva did not know about the expiration, and Moulton said, “his story captures what’s broken in our immigration system right now.” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin countered, “Marcelo Gomes da Silva is still an illegal alien and subject to removal proceedings.”
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) invited Caroline Dias Gonçalves, who was briefly arrested by ICE last year despite being part of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Hickenlooper described her situation, but DHS noted that her “visa expired over a decade ago,” adding that President Trump and Secretary Kristi Noem are committed to restoring integrity to the visa program.
Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stated, “Today, some Democrats in Congress are planning to bring illegal aliens as guests to the State of the Union. Once again, they are putting illegal aliens above the safety of American citizens.” She highlighted arrests on Monday, including Cuban national Jorge Luis Gómez-Gallardo, convicted of “carnal knowledge of a child 13-14 years old without force” in Virginia; Guyanese national Parsam Chettana, convicted of rape in Schenectady, New York; Mexican national Agustine Hernandez-Almaraz, convicted of “criminal sexual assault”; Mexican Omar Gómez-Hinojosa, with an assault conviction; and El Salvadoran Isidro Arcenio Alvarado, with a “naturalization fraud” conviction in North Carolina. Bis added, “Yesterday alone, our officers arrested pedophiles, rapists, and violent criminals from our communities... if you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will find you, we will arrest you, and you will NEVER return.”
On Monday, Trump proclaimed National Angel Family Day to “remember and honor the thousands of American lives stolen from us by criminal illegal aliens and the deadly drugs they bring across our borders.”
Some Democrats are skipping the address for counterprogramming, including a rally called the People's State of the Union. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), facing federal felony charges for allegedly interfering with authorities outside an ICE facility last May, issued a prebuttal: “America can handle dissent... But Donald Trump doesn’t care about America; he cares only about himself, his money, his power. It is time to decide: Is democracy worth defending?” Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) is also boycotting in favor of the People's event.
Democrats selected Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger to deliver the English-language response. Sworn in on January 17 as the first woman elected governor of Virginia, Spanberger previously served six years in Congress and worked in the CIA. She stated, “We are at a defining moment in our nation's history... Virginians and Americans across the country are contending with rising costs, chaos in their communities, and a real fear of what each day might bring.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Spanberger has “always put service over politics” and will outline lowering costs, protecting healthcare, and defending freedoms.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), the first Latino elected to represent California in the Senate and appointed in 2021, will deliver the Spanish-language response. Son of Mexican immigrants, Padilla was forcibly removed from a news conference last summer by federal agents after questioning DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on immigration tactics. He said, “Americans don't need another speech from Donald Trump pretending everything is fine when their bills are too high, paychecks are too low, and masked and militarized federal agents are roaming our communities violating Constitutional rights on a daily basis.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries praised Padilla for fighting back against efforts to silence Latino voices.
