Joe Garcia Joins South Florida Immigration Groups and future NY Congressman Adriano Espaillat for Roundtable

Espaillat is set to be America’s first Dominican-American Congressman and sat with Garcia at a roundtable to hear immigrant stories and proposals for a future comprehensive immigration reform bill.

Miami, FL – Today, former Congressman Joe Garcia joined a public roundtable organized by South Florida pro-immigrant groups to host New York State Senator Adriano Espaillat, the likely successor to Congressman Charlie Rangel in New York’s 13th congressional district. Formerly an undocumented immigrant from the Dominican Republic, State Senator Espaillat could become the first Dominican-American Congressman in America’s history. Espaillat came to South Florida to help build Dominican support for Secretary Hillary Clinton and former Democratic Congressman Joe Garcia in his contest to retake Florida’s 26th congressional district.

The roundtable was organized by Students Working for Equal Rights (SWER) and Friends of Miami-Dade Detainees, and was attended by South Florida immigration activists. The purpose of the roundtable was for attendees to share their experiences as immigrants and to discuss what is at stake for immigrant families in the upcoming election. Participants also presented State Senator Espaillat and Joe Garcia with ideas and proposals of policies that should be included in any upcoming immigration reform.

The attendees thanked Garcia for filing and working to pass the last comprehensive immigration reform bill in Congress. Garcia pledged that he would build on his past work, and work with Espaillat to move beyond the obstruction of Republican leaders in Congress like Speaker Paul Ryan and Congressman Carlos Curbelo.

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Joe Garcia served South Florida in Congress from 2013 to 2015.  He is currently running for election against Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo in a Congressional District that has been redrawn and favors Democrats. National and local Democrats have invested heavily in Garcia, with the DCCC placing over $5 million in television and radio ads that are currently running in the district.  Joe Garcia is beating Curbelo in the most recent poll.

NY State Senator Adriano Espaillat was elected to the New York Senate in November 2010, where he represents the 31st district. Prior to becoming a state senator, he served in the New York State Assembly, and was the first Dominican-American elected to a state legislature when he first won his seat in 1996. Senator Espaillat, who was once undocumented as an immigrant, is the Democratic nominee for the House of Representatives for New York’s 13th congressional district, to succeed retiring Congressman Charles Rangel. In a Democratic district, Espaillat is now virtually guaranteed to win the general election in November 8, 2016, becoming the first Dominican-American to ever serve in the U.S. Congress.

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