Rep. Carbajal to Host UCSB Student, First-Generation Mexican-American for President’s Address to Congress
Washington, DC,
February 27, 2017
Today, Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24) announced that he has invited Izeah Garcia – a University of California, Santa Barbara student and first-generation Mexican-American – to President Trump’s first address to a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday. Izeah is the son of Mexican immigrants and the first person in his family to attend college. He belongs to a community that feels directly threated by the Trump Administration’s policies toward Mexican immigrants, particularly due to President’s recent Executive Orders expanding the guidelines for immigrant deportations and directing the construction of a wall on our southern border with Mexico. “It is a privilege to host Izeah at tomorrow’s Presidential Address,” said Congressman Carbajal. “Izeah is a leader in his community both in student government at UCSB and as an advocate for funding our higher education institutions to make them more accessible and affordable for all students. “Izeah is an exceptional example of the value that immigrants and their families have to offer our communities. As the son of Mexican immigrants and the first in his family to attend college, Izeah’s success encapsulates the American dream and the threat that the President’s xenophobic policies pose to America’s continued success and strength.” “I'm a fourth year history of public policy major, a first-generation college student and the son of Mexican immigrants,” said Garcia. “My success is due to my parent’s struggle. “As a student at a public university, I believe it's important to protect our research funding at the University of California, it's important to protect our financial aid resources and it's important to value our investment in higher education. We also cannot forget the faces of those behind these statements for which the President and Congress’ actions will have real consequences. My family is fearful of the anti-immigrant rhetoric and sentiment elevated by Trump’s statements. My friends on campus, especially those protected by DACA, are living in constant fear of future executive action.” ### |
