Border Security Takes Center Stage
President Donald Trump made immigration and border enforcement the focus of his State of the Union address, pointing to what he called historic gains at the southern border.
Throughout the speech, he mentioned the border as often as taxes. He devoted major portions of his remarks to national security as well. At one point, he told lawmakers that illegal crossings had dropped to zero over the past nine months. He also said fentanyl smuggling fell by more than 50 percent in a single year.
Rather than simply listing statistics, Trump compared those numbers to the previous administration. He blamed former President Joe Biden for what he described as years of weak enforcement.
A Direct Challenge to Congress
Midway through the address, Trump issued a public challenge. He asked every member of Congress to stand if they believed the government’s first duty is to protect American citizens instead of undocumented immigrants.
According to Trump, Americans deserve to see where their representatives stand. When many Democrats stayed seated, he openly criticized them and urged support for stricter immigration laws.
He also demanded an end to sanctuary city policies. In his view, those rules protect criminals and block federal officers from removing dangerous offenders.
Funding and National Security Push
The president called on Congress to fully restore border and homeland security funding. Lawmakers, he argued, must strengthen enforcement rather than scale it back.
Beyond funding, Trump tied immigration policy directly to public safety. Strong borders, he said, reduce violent crime and drug trafficking.
Honoring Victims and Proposing New Law
During the evening, Trump recognized several “Angel Families” whose loved ones were killed in crimes involving undocumented immigrants.
He shared the story of Lizbeth Medina, a Texas teenager murdered in 2023. He also introduced Dalilah Coleman, a child paralyzed in a California crash involving an undocumented driver.
Because of that case, Trump proposed the “Dalilah Law.” The measure would block states from granting commercial driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants.
Fraud Allegations and New Initiative
Later in the speech, Trump linked immigration policies to large fraud investigations in Minnesota. He claimed billions of taxpayer dollars had been misused and blamed open border policies for allowing abuse.
To respond, he appointed Vice President JD Vance to lead what he called a federal war on fraud. Trump said aggressive oversight could help balance the federal budget.
He closed this portion of the speech by arguing that weak enforcement invites corruption. Strong borders, he concluded, protect both American communities and the economy.
