Hunter Biden has spoken critically about illegal migration, arguing the United States needs a strong immigration system—but not one that, in his view, puts additional strain on public resources.
On an episode of the Shawn Ryan Show podcast, he said: “We need a vibrant immigration, but we don’t want immigrants that are coming here illegally, draining us of resources and being prioritized above people that are literal heroes, that are still recovering from 20 years of endless war, or anybody else in our society.”
He added that “of course…what you prioritize” is giving veterans hotel rooms over migrants without legal status.
Why It Matters
Immigration was a defining issue in the 2024 presidential election, with border crossings and asylum policies drawing sustained public attention.
President Joe Biden faced criticism for his asylum policies, with opponents arguing that they weakened border enforcement and complicated the administration’s response to irregular migration. Annual net migration averaged 2.4 million people between 2021 to 2023, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has been praised by supporters for curbing border crossings, but his administration has also faced sharp backlash over its immigration enforcement operations under the GOP’s mass deportation policy.
What To Know
In the podcast, published on Sunday, Biden also defended his father’s administration, saying it secured an agreement for Republicans to support a major Senate border bill—before, he claimed, Trump urged them to oppose it.
“And then Donald Trump stepped in six months before the election, and told [Republicans] that he was gonna primary every single one of them that voted for that, because we’re addicted to the problem,” Biden said.
Elsewhere in the interview, Biden said he was uncertain about his current political identity. “I don’t even know if I’m a Democrat anymore,” he said.
Biden has previously criticized Trump’s immigration policies, while also arguing Democrats failed to respond effectively to public concern about illegal immigration.
“All these Democrats say, ‘You have to talk about and realize that people are really upset about illegal immigration,’” Biden said.
“How do you think your hotel room gets cleaned? How do you think you have food on your fing table? Who do you think washes your dishes? Who do you think does your fing garden?”
He also said he was frustrated that Trump had “somehow convinced all of us that these people are the f***ing criminals?”
Since returning to the White House, the Trump administration has made immigration policy more restrictive, including expanded travel bans, slower processing of green cards and refugee-related applications, and the suspension of the Diversity Visa lottery program.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that nationwide crossings in November were 92 percent lower than the peak under the Biden administration.
What People Are Saying
Shawn Ryan wrote on X: “I’ve said it before—I’m open to hearing from all sides. I don’t agree with everything Hunter says, and he doesn’t agree with everything I say either, but that’s not the point. These conversations matter.”
Right-wing commentator Nick Sortor wrote on X: “Hunter Biden just called out his father’s disastrous immigration policies.”
Conservative commentator Benny Johnson wrote on X: “Hearing this from Hunter Biden was not on my 2025 bingo card. Just demolished his father’s administration.”
