After President Donald Trump delivered a nationally televised Oval Office speech on border security Tuesday night, elected officials from Alabama reacted in statements and on social media with praise for the president.

Trump’s speech came on the 18th day of a partial government shutdown that stems from his demands for increased funding for border security — specifically a physical barrier across much of the United States’ border with Mexico. He has moved on from calling for a concrete wall to now pushing for a steel one.

In a press release afterwards, Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-1) came out in support of Trump’s speech.

“I’ve said repeatedly that ensuring the safety of the American people and the security of our borders is a fight worth fighting, and I applaud President Trump for his strong leadership in this fight,” Byrne said.

He continued, “There is a humanitarian and security crisis on the border, and we must address this crisis. Democrats need to stop their petty political games and start negotiating with President Trump so we can protect the American people, secure our borders, and reopen the government.”

Byrne also released a short video of his own after Trump’s speech, commenting on the important policy issues at hand.

WATCH: Strong speech from @POTUS explaining why we must #SecureOurBorder and keep the American people safe. Democrats need to stop with the obstruction and start negotiating with President Trump to reopen the government and keep the American people safe. #BuildTheWall pic.twitter.com/x6T5Qnr05b

— Rep. Bradley Byrne (@RepByrne) January 9, 2019

Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-4) was quick to release a statement in support of Trump’s speech, too. Aderholt’s district gave Trump his biggest electoral victory percentage-wise in 2016, when the Republican candidate ran with the border wall front and center in his campaign.

“President Trump’s request for funding to build a wall along our southern border is not only reasonable, it is desperately needed. There is nothing ‘immoral’ about a nation choosing to protect its borders and thereby protect its sovereignty,” Aderholt said.

“What is immoral is to continue to allow a constant stream of drug traffickers, and human traffickers into the country,” he continued. “It is immoral to allow this unlawful door to remain open, because it encourages adults to put their children in grave danger – both from illness and from the strangers who transport them.”

Aderholt advised, “I fear that many of my Democrat colleagues are willing to set aside the laws of our land, and that is what we are talking about: immigration is governed by laws, to ensure fairness and safety. Many Democrats are willing to set aside these laws, and turn a blind eye to the dangers coming into our nation, for the prospect of future electoral gains.”

“I urge my colleagues in Congress to fund the border wall and to reopen our government,” Aderholt concluded.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall also praised Trump’s speech, again calling out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) for her opposition to funding a physical barrier on the border.

.@POTUS is absolutely right. The time is now to fully fund America’s border security to protect our country from violent criminal aliens, cross-border illegal drugs and human trafficking. Mrs Pelosi, Build this Wall! #BuildTheWall

— AG Steve Marshall (@AGSteveMarshall) January 9, 2019

The speech was Trump’s first ever primetime address from the Oval Office.

Trranscript of the speech reads as follows:

My fellow Americans,

Tonight, I am speaking to you because there is a growing humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border. Every day customs and border patrol agents encounter thousands of illegal immigrants trying to enter our country. We are out of space to hold them and we have no way to promptly return them back home to their country. America proudly welcomes millions of lawful immigrants who enrich our society and contribute to our nation. But, all Americans are hurt by uncontrolled illegal migration. It strains public resources and drives down jobs and wages. Among those hardest hit are African-Americans and Hispanic Americans. Our southern border is a pipeline for vast quantities of illegal drugs, including meth, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl. Every week 300 of our citizens are killed by heroin alone, 90 percent of which floods across from our southern border. More Americans will die from drugs this year than were killed in the entire Vietnam War.

In the last two years, ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of aliens with criminal records including those charged or convicted of 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 violent killings. Over the years thousands of Americans have been brutally killed by those who illegally entered our country and thousands more lives will be lost if we don’t act right now. This is a humanitarian crisis, a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul.

Last month, 20,000 migrant children were illegally brought into the united States, a dramatic increase. These children are used as human pawns by vicious coyotes and ruthless gangs. One in three women are sexually assaulted on the dangerous trek up through Mexico. Women and children are the biggest victims by far of our broken system. This is the tragic reality of illegal immigration on our southern border. This is the cycle of human suffering that I am determined to end.

My administration has presented Congress with a detailed proposal to secure the border and stop the criminal gangs, drug smugglers and human traffickers. It’s a tremendous problem. Our proposal was developed by law enforcement professionals and border agents at the department of homeland security. These are the resources they have requested to properly perform their mission and keep America safe. In fact, safer than ever before. The proposal from Homeland Security includes cutting-edge technology for detecting drugs, weapons, illegal contraband and many other things. We have requested more agents, immigration judges, and bed space to process the sharp rise in unlawful migration fueled by our very strong economy. Our plan also contains an urgent request for humanitarian assistance and medical support. Furthermore, we have asked Congress to close border security loopholes so that illegal immigrant children can be safely and humanely returned back home. Finally, as part of an overall approach to border security, law enforcement professionals have requested $5.7 billion for a physical barrier. At the request of Democrats, it will be a steel barrier rather than a concrete wall.

This barrier is absolutely critical to border security. It’s also what our professionals at the border want and need. This is just common sense. The border wall would very quickly pay for itself. The cost of illegal drugs exceeds $500 billion a year. Vastly more than the $5.7 billion we have requested from Congress. The wall will always be paid for indirectly by the great new trade deal we have made with Mexico. Sen. Chuck Schumer, who you will be hearing from later tonight, has repeatedly supported a physical barrier in the past along with many other Democrats. They changed their mind only after I was elected president. Democrats in Congress have refused to acknowledge the crisis. And they have refused to provide our brave border agents with the tools they desperately need to protect our families and our nation. The federal government remains shut down for one reason and one reason only because Democrats will not fund border security. My administration is doing everything in our power to help those impacted by the situation. But the only solution is for Democrats to pass a spending bill that defends our borders and reopens the government. This situation could be solved in a 45-minute meeting. I have invited congressional leadership to the White House tomorrow to get this done. Hopefully, we can rise above partisan politics in order to support national security.

Some have suggested a barrier is immoral. Then why do wealthy politicians build walls, fences and gates around their homes? They don’t build walls because they hate the people on the outside, but because they love the people on the inside. The only thing that is immoral is for the politicians to do nothing and continue to allow more innocent people to be so horribly victimized. America’s heart broke the day after Christmas when a young police officer in California was savagely murdered in cold blood by an illegal alien who just came across the border. The life of an American hero was stolen by someone who had no right to be in our country.

Day after day, precious lives are cut short by those who have violated our borders. In California, an Air Force veteran was raped, murdered and beaten to death with a hammer by an illegal alien with a long criminal history. In Georgia, an illegal alien was recently charged with murder for killing, beheading and dismembering his neighbor. In Maryland, MS-13 gang members who arrived in the United States as unaccompanied minors were arrested and charged last year after viciously stabbing and beating a 16-year-old girl. Over the last several years, I have met with dozens of families whose loved ones were stolen by illegal immigration. I’ve held the hands of the weeping mothers and embraced the grief-stricken fathers. So sad. So terrible. I will never forget the pain in their eyes, the tremble in their voices and the sadness gripping their souls. How much more American blood must we shed before Congress does its job?

For those who refuse to compromise in the name of in the name of border security, I would ask, imagine if it was your child, your husband or your wife whose life was so cruelly shattered and totally broken. To every member of Congress, pass a bill that ends this crisis. To every citizen, call Congress and tell them to finally, after all of these decades, secure our border. This is a choice between right and wrong, justice and injustice. This is about whether we fulfill our sacred duty to the American citizens we serve. When I took the oath of office, I swore to protect our country. And that is what I will always do so help me God. Thank you and good night.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn