Democrats receive nine newly elected Latino legislators to Congress

Democratic legislators held an event this Friday to welcome a group of nine Latinos elected for the first time to the House of Representatives, during the midterm elections in United States.

For the first time, the presence of Latinos in Congress will be 41 legislators, who come from more than a dozen states. “They are going to bring all those perspectives, stories and opinions to Congress,” he told the audience. voice of america Rubén Gallego, congressman from Arizona District 3 and chair of Bold PAC, a Democratic political action committee.

The event held at the Capitol in Washington DC was attended by representatives with experience in the Lower House such as Tony Cárdenas and Verónica Escobar. Among the new legislators was Maxwell Alejandro Frost, who will also be the first face of Generation Z in Congress.

Delia Ramirez, elected in Illinois District 3, assured the VOA that her arrival in Congress “is personal” not only because she is the daughter of migrants, but because she will be the only one who has publicly expressed having an undocumented family member; a dreameror dreamer, recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

“My husband is DACA and for me it is very important, although I have not been officially sworn in, to work with the Hispanic caucus so that in this session they finally pass the DREAM Act, if we do not do it now, it will take two years to be able to do it” Ramirez said.

The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act seeks to provide a pathway to legal status for undocumented individuals who came to the US as minors.

In Colorado’s District 8, voters chose Yadira Caraveo for the House of Representatives. The pediatrician told the VOA that he set out to reach Congress to make sure “that the children I care for have the future that I had growing up.”

“My parents are emigrants from Mexico and they came to the US with the hope that their children would have a better future than they did. My dad, a construction worker for 51 years, was able to provide four children with college and ensure that we live the dream that he had as a young man and was unable to achieve,” he added.

Andrea Salinas, the new representative for District 6 of Oregon, assured that in her community, Latinos “want to make sure that they can provide for their families and be able to afford food and gasoline.” But also, to ensure immigration reforms that allow DACA recipients to remain in the country.

Some 34.5 million Hispanics were eligible to vote during the November 8 midterm elections.

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