Rep. Cisneros Invites Miriam Tellez, a DREAMer, to the State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Gil Cisneros (CA-39) announced that he has invited Miriam Tellez, a California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) student and DREAMer, to President Trump’s State of the Union address in the 116th Congress.

Tellez is the daughter of undocumented Mexican immigrants and the first person in her family to attend college. Tellez also worked in CSUF's Titan Dreamers Resource Center, which provides academic and emotional support for DREAMers, aims to improve retention and graduation rates, offers referrals to financial assistance, and provides a comforting environment where students from undocumented families can connect with each other.

“It is a privilege to host Miriam at tomorrow’s State of the Union Address,” said Rep. Cisneros. “She is a leader in her community at CSU Fullerton as an advocate for supporting our DREAMers and TPS holders who are seeking higher education degrees. DREAMers are students, service members, neighbors, and our friends. Above all, they are real people. And it is crass and inhumane for the President to try and leverage them, their families, and the DACA program he is responsible for ending to extract a senseless border wall. DREAMers are so much more then bargaining chips, they are valued community members who want nothing more than to contribute to the country they love."

“I'm a 5th year sociology major, a first-generation college student, DREAMer, and the daughter of undocumented Mexican immigrants,” said Tellez. “My success is due to my parents' struggle and their dream for a better life in the United States.

“As a student at a public university, I believe it's important to protect our DACA and DREAMer students and it's important to value our investment in higher education. So many other DREAMers and DACA students like me want nothing more than the opportunity to give back to our communities and country. We cannot forget the faces of those for which the Administration and Congress' actions will have real consequences. I'm hopeful that this new Congress can rise above the President's anti-immigrant rhetoric and put forward a permanent fix for those protected by DACA.”

Rep. Cisneros has been an advocate for DREAMers and TPS holders in Congress and personally through his charitable foundation. Recently he cosponsored legislation, the American Dream Employment Act, which would make DACA beneficiaries eligible for paid employment in Congress. Rep Cisneros also signed a letter urging the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue regulations to allow DACA recipients to travel abroad. 

###