Rep. Gallego, Rep. Grijalva and Rayos-Garcia Children Call on Trump to Face the Victims of his Immigration Policies
Today, Congressmen Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) and Raul Grijalva (AZ-03) stood alongside Angel and Jacqueline Rayos-Garcia in calling on President Donald Trump to face the victims of his immigration policies prior to his address to the joint session of Congress. The mother of the two teenagers, Guadalupe, was deported shortly after Trump issued a new executive order on immigration. Congressmen Gallego and Grijalva issued the following statements after the press conference:
Congressman Ruben Gallego:
"Angel and Jacqueline are here to demonstrate the real human cost of Trump's immigration policies. Deporting Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos did not make our country safer; it simply robbed two American kids of their mother. We are calling on Donald Trump and Republican leaders to face these two U.S. citizens and explain to them why they won't be spending today with their mother on her birthday or why they believe deporting her was in our national interest.
"This evening, President Trump will stand before Congress and try to justify his scapegoating of immigrants. He will try to paint the entire immigrant community with a wide brush of bigotry, using insults to demonize hardworking people like Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos. I will be standing proudly with Angel and Jacqueline to remind Trump that Hispanic leaders won't back down in the face of his crusade of hate."
Congressman Raul Grijalva:
"Jacqueline and Angel Rayos-Garcia are the definition of courage. In the three weeks since their mother was deported by the new administration, they've become the public face for thousands of others living in fear and suffering under Donald Trump's draconian immigration policies. While it is politically expedient for this president and congressional Republicans to scapegoat immigrants, Muslims and refugees, the price is heavy for the families who are splintered and the livelihoods that are upended. Deporting a working mother of two does nothing to make our country safe, and it is the opposite of what makes America great. Jacqueline and Angel's presence in the House Chamber tonight highlights the human toll that is happening across our nation right now."
Congressmen Gallego will be accompanied by Angel Rayos-Garcia to tonight's State of the Union address while Congressman Grijalva will be accompanied by his sister, Jacqueline.
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