In The News
Military personnel killed during humanitarian aid missions, such as a Phoenix Marine who died recently in the Nepal earthqu
MESA, AZ -- For some, Memorial Day will be a day of family picnics, barbecues and parades. But for Congressman Ruben Gallego, a freshman Democrat from Arizona who served as a Marine in Iraq, Memorial Day will be a time of remembrance.
When Manuel Contreras, 21, first visited Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island as a high school student, everything about the prestigious school "felt right." It was his dream school, the place where he felt he belonged. But all that changed first semester of freshman year.
A day immigration advocates thought would be a time for celebration instead was filled with concern because of stalled Obama administration programs that would have been open for application Tuesday.
Veterans expressed their disappointment that House Republicans voted to block legislation that could have helped pave the way for allowing young undocumented immigrants to serve in the armed forces.
“It’s a huge disservice to our military because we have such a rich history of immigrants serving,” said Luis Cardenas Camacho, 29, a Marine veteran.
After the 2012 presidential election, when the Republican Party lost Latino and minority voters by wide margins, the GOP decided it needed to do a better job attracting those groups.
But despite several years of outreach, the effort has run into limitations.
Cesar Vargas has a resume most young Americans would envy. He graduated from a Brooklyn high school that counts Sens. Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders among its alumni. He made honors in both college and law school. But because he was brought to the United States from Mexico illegally when he was 5 years old, he can't fulfill one of his dreams: joining the armed forces.
U.S. military veterans have urged Congress to focus on immigration as lawmakers debate the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).