President Joe Biden will try to paint a rosy picture of the country and his policies in the State of the Union address Thursday night, with an eye toward reelection. But opponents are taking aim at a major policy weakness: illegal immigration.
The conservative nonprofit Building America’s Future announced it will bracket the State of the Union with a $700,000 television buy, including two different commercials that hammer Biden on immigration. The ads will air nationally and in key markets in battleground states across the country, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
In “Run,” Building America’s Future pins the blame for Laken Riley’s brutal murder by a previously arrested illegal immigrant on Biden’s refusal to deport illegal immigrants who were arrested by local police.
“Run” Transcript: “Laken Riley should have been able to go on a run in broad daylight without being murdered by an illegal immigrant. But Joe Biden promised not to deport illegal immigrants.
HOST: Should that person be deported?
BIDEN: That person should not be the focus of deportation
Biden vowed not to detain illegal immigrants who cross the border.
BIDEN: No one. No one would be put in jail while waiting for their hearing.
So when Jose Ibarra crossed into America illegally, he was not deported; he was not put in jail. Biden also supported sanctuary cities.
HOST: Should undocumented immigrants arrested by local police be turned over to immigration officials?
BIDEN: No.
So when Jose Ibarra was arrested in New York City for endangering a child, he was freed a second time; Ibarra went to Georgia, where he beat Laken Riley to death. How many more killers has Biden set free?”
Charlie Gerow, a Republican strategist and CEO of Quantum Communications, says he thinks illegal immigration will be a major issue in this year’s presidential election.
“Border security is the number one issue in the minds of voters, and Biden and his administration have no excuse for their multiple failures,” said Gerow.
The new ad follows a recent survey from The Tyson Group showing immigration is a top motivator for Republican voters, who overwhelmingly oppose the weak on immigration policies that led to Riley’s murder.
The Tyson Group survey found:
- Eighty-one percent of likely GOP primary voters said stopping illegal immigration is a very important issue for them when deciding who to support for president, second only to improving the economy at 83 percent.
- Seventy-five percent of likely GOP primary voters would be less likely to vote for an elected official who has supported weak immigration enforcement legislation. (laws that prohibit local law enforcement from cooperating with U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In “Health Care for Illegal Immigrants,” BAF highlights the dangers of the 340B program being used to provide health care to illegal immigrants.
The new spot comes after Virginia’s legislature recently passed a bill strengthening the 340B program in that state. Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office signaled Monday he might veto the measure because “he is deeply concerned about the federal 340b program and how it could be exploited to provide taxpayer-subsidized healthcare to illegal immigrants.
“Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants” Transcript: “The border is broken. Millions illegally pouring into our country. But it’s not just the border. Your tax dollars are at work for illegal immigrants. The more we look, the more we find…Our police are under assault. Free credit cards for illegals and free health care? They’re using a program currently under investigation called 340b to launder your money and provide free healthcare for illegal immigrants. The more we look, the more we find…We need Republicans to stand up for us.”
However, Maureen Testoni, President and CEO of 340B Health rejected the ad’s description of the program.
“The 340B program does not rely on taxpayer funds and so the claim that somehow federal taxpayer money is being ‘laundered’ to provide free healthcare to illegal immigrants is patently false,” Testoni said in a statement. “What is more, by using the word ‘launder,’ which the dictionary defines as ‘to transfer (illegally obtained money or investments) through an outside party to conceal the true source,’ the ad is deceiving viewers into wrongly believing that the 340B program is being used for illegal purposes. There is absolutely no support for this salacious allegation of criminal activity.”
Jeff Jubelirer, with Bellevue Communications, said he believes all voters are concerned with immigration.
“The issue of immigration is top of mind for voters,” said Jubelirer. That’s why both Biden and Trump recently went to the border and addressed the matter in person with dueling visits. It’s also why substantive immigration reform legislation has been drafted, although with Trump opposing the recent bipartisan effort, it failed to pass.
“Immigration is not a Republican or Democrat issue; it’s an American issue. Every issue these days – it seems – is viewed with such partisan lenses, and at this time, with months to go until the general election, I don’t sense the ads will have much impact. It will only serve to reinforce existing views,” he added.
On. Feb. 13, the Republican-controlled U.S. House voted to start impeachment proceedings against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkes. Some 7.2 million illegal immigrants have crossed the border since Biden took office and halted former President Donald Trump’s tough border control policies.
