South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley took several veiled swipes at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and defended immigrants while delivering the GOP response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night.

The Republican governor took a softer tone on immigration and denounced the anti-immigrant rhetoric being used on the campaign trail by Trump and other GOP 2016 hopefuls. She also urged Americans to resist "the siren call of the angriest voices" during her speech.

"During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. We must resist that temptation," Haley said in the GOP's formal response to Obama's speech.

Unlike Trump, who has called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the U.S., Haley argued that the U.S. should continue admitting "properly vetted legal immigrants, regardless of their race or religion."

"No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country," she said.

Haley also made reference to her own upbringing as the daughter of two Indian immigrants, while relating to the struggle that many foreigners face when they settle in the U.S.

"Growing up in the rural south, my family didn't look like our neighbors, and we didn't have much," she said. "My story is really not much different from millions of other Americans. Immigrants have been coming to our shores for generations to live the dream that is America. They wanted better for their children than for themselves. That remains the dream of all of us, and in this country we have seen time and again that that dream is achievable."

Haley also spoke about the growing concern of terrorism fueled by recent attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California by the Islamic State, or ISIS. The 43-year-old governor called for strong border security before stating, "We cannot continue to allow immigrants to come here illegally. And in this age of terrorism, we must not let in refugees whose intentions cannot be determined."

Watch her speech below:

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