Meet some of the 'undocumented and unafraid' DACA recipient guests going to the State of the Union
Watching from the balcony of Donald Trump's State of the Union address this Tuesday will be Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, undocumented immigrants, and families whose lives have been upended by his racist, mass deportation policies. In Oregon, congressional Democrats plan to send six DACA recipients who have only ever known America as their home, including 24-year-old Aldo Solano:
Two years ago, Solano's mother moved back to Mexico to take care of his ailing grandmother. In 2017, his father followed. But, much like the rest of the 800,000 Dreamers and other immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, Solano says moving to his country of origin isn't practical.
Solano has been in the country for 18 years. Oregon is the only home he's ever known.
"I have nowhere else to go," he said.
While Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-WA) opted to skip Trump's address, he hopes having Solano go in his place sends a message of the importance of passing permanent protections for immigrant youth. "I am an American," Solano said during a joint press conference with Congressman Blumenauer. "I am an Oregonian and I'm fighting for my right to be here."
In California—home to the largest population of DACA recipients in the nation—Sen. Kamala Harris, Congresswoman Judy Chu, Congressman Pete Aguilar, Congressman Jimmy Gomez, and Congressman Jimmy Panetta are among the congressional Democrats who have invited immigrant youth as their guests. Leticia Herrera-Mendez, a California State University at San Bernardino student, will be the guest of Rep. Aguilar:
"Leticia is a student leader who plans to dedicate her life to serving others as a social worker, and we should be supporting Dreamers like her by passing legislation such as the U.S.A. Act rather than leaving her with a sense of uncertainty while Congress plays politics with her future," Aguilar said.
Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles, invited Itayu Torres because he said she is an example of the young immigrant "Dreamers" whose U.S. residency is threatened by the Trump administration's threat to terminate DACA.
Born in Oaxaca, Mexico, she came to the United States at 6 months old and grew up in L.A. in a family with a mix of immigration statuses. She was 14 before she knew she was undocumented. Torres attends Pasadena City College and is preparing to attend Hood College in Maryland.
Congresswoman Chu has invited 23-year old AAPI DACA recipient Jung Bin Cho, a graduate of Virginia Tech with a Bachelor's of Science in Business Information Technology:
"I invited Jung Bin so that Trump could see the face of immigrants today. Dreamers have known no home but America. They have contributed through school, work, or military service. And they've stayed within the law. Deporting them now would be both cruel and counterproductive, causing serious disruptions to families and communities alike. People like Jung Bin are American in every way. Instead of deporting them, we should encourage others to be more like them."
Congressman Panetta has invited 25-year-old Adriana Gonzalez, a Hartnell College student:
"I want to bring the face of a DREAMer to President Trump," said Panetta. "I want him to look up in the gallery and see the face of a DREAMer -- someone who epitomizes what it means to come here and strive for the American Dream. And that's what I believe Adriana encompasses."
Sen. Harris has invited Denea Joseph, a University of California, Los Angeles alumni and UndocuBlack leader:
"Dreamers like Denea represent the best of who we are as a nation," Harris said. "Her commitment to the representation and empowerment of black immigrant communities is inspiring. We must continue to fight to give her and the hundreds of thousands of other young people like her who are living in fear, the security they need to live up to their full potential."
In Colorado, Congressman Jared Polis has invited college student Anarely Marquez:
Marquez, a college student at Colorado State University, was only 6 years old when she came to the U.S.
Her future in the country is now uncertain as Washington quip over what to do with the legal status of 1.8 million Dreamers who are undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
Marquez said she hopes for a positive outcome.
"It's not just numbers, it's people," Marquez said. "I hope people see that I'm a person."
In Kentucky, Congressman John Yarmouth has invited University of Louisville student Leo Salinas Chacón:
"I'm thrilled to welcome Leo as my guest for this address and I'm glad to know that he will be among those staring back at this President, reminding him that we are a nation built by and for individuals of all ethnicities and nationalities, representing every race, color, and creed," said Yarmuth. "I'll continue to urge President Trump and my Republican colleagues to bring the bipartisan fix for DACA recipients to the floor for a vote so the voices of these brave individuals can be heard and they will no longer have to live their lives in fear of deportation."
In Maryland, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer has invited Prince George's Community College student Gabriela Hernandez:
"It is my honor to welcome Gabriela Hernandez, a DREAMer from Prince George's County, Maryland, as my guest for tomorrow's State of the Union Address," said Congressman Hoyer. "Like so many DREAMers, Gabriela came to the United States as a young child, and knows no other country but this one as home. She is working hard to pursue her dream of becoming a social worker, and is an upstanding member of her community."
"I am so glad that Gabriela will join me tomorrow evening," continued Congressman Hoyer. "Each day, 122 DREAMers lose their DACA protections. I hope that the presence of Gabriela and other DREAMers at tomorrow's address will remind President Trump and Congressional Republican leaders of the importance of working expeditiously to allow DREAMers to remain here and ensure they have a pathway to citizenship. I remain committed to protecting DREAMers and ensuring these young people – who contribute so much to our nation – are not sent to countries they do not know."
In New Jersey, Congressman Frank Pallone has invited AAPI DACA recipient Esder Chong:
Chong said Trump often focuses on Latino immigrants, using negative stereotypes, but she wants to show Trump that DACA recipients come from all over the world.
"This is not a Latino issue but an issue that affects all communities," Chong said. "This is a Korean-American issue, an Asian issue, black and white."
"We're as American in virtually every way, except on paper," she added. "If I'm not American, then I don't know what American is."
In New York, DACA recipients Hugo Acosta Mazariego and Nelson Melgar are going as the guests of Congresswoman Nita Lowey and Congressman Thomas Suozzi:
"To me, this is an opportunity to bring to light who it is that we really are," said Melgar, who came from Honduras and across the U.S.-Mexico border when he was 13. He graduated from Glen Cove High School and worked his way through college to pay for his studies.
Melgar, who has a bachelor's degree in political science and international relations from Hunter College, said he wants "for the people assembled there to see in me a person that not only deserves to live in the U.S., and to make a life in the U.S., but also wants nothing more than to form part of this great society."
In North Carolina, Congressman David Price has invited America Moreno Jimenez, one of the estimated 20,000 DACA-eligible educators in the nation:
"I'm proud to announce that my guest for this year's State of the Union address will be America Moreno Jimenez, a local high school teacher from Raleigh who was a recipient of President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Her passion for giving back to the community where she grew up is a testament to the story of the many "Dreamers" in our community and in our country. Her success is one of many inspiring stories of Dreamers who came to America as children and have made incalculable contributions to the only nation they have ever known."
In Virginia, Congressman Gerry Connolly has invited 17-year-old Nicolle Uria, a senior at Annandale High School:
"Nicolle is a bright, talented student who until last September lived the American dream. She was looking forward to going to college and to run her own media company one day until President Trump put that future in jeopardy with his callous decision to end DACA," said Connolly. "She came here when she was just one year old. This country is all she has ever known and through her volunteer work she has made our community better. She and so many other Dreamers are exactly the young people we don't want to turn away from our country. They are what makes America such a great nation."
Joining the "undocumented and unafraid" youth will be activists like Cindy Garcia, the wife of deported dad Jesus Garcia. A guest of Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Garcia's husband was deported after nearly three decades in the U.S. and no criminal record. In Colorado, Democratic Congressman Ed Perlmutter has invited Veronica Andazola Marquez, the daughter of another deported dad, Melecio Andazola Morales:
"I met him personally," Perlmutter said. "We visited, and I was just very sad and angry that these policies of this administration could result in a deportation of somebody who was actually doing good things in America — raising a good family. Instead of keeping families together, the polices of this administration are to divide them."
Nelson, the DACA recipient guest of New York Congressman Suozzi, "said if he could make a point to elected officials, he would discuss his concerns about Trump's immigration reform framework, which would offer legal status to DACA recipients like him while bolstering enforcement against others, such as the parents of Dreamers":
"How on earth do you make that decision?" Melgar said, adding of the president: "I don't think it's humane for him to give me a pathway to citizenship if doing so means he's going to persecute my parents."
DACA is "an issue nationwide," Rep. Panetta's guest Adriana said, "so I hope to get to know as many people as possible and share my story as much as possible, so a lot of people that don't understand can understand eventually what it means to be undocumented and unafraid."