Congressman Adriano Espaillat Calls for Unity in Immigration Policies at Jewish Community Relations Council of New York Breakfast
NEW YORK, NY — This morning, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), a Co-Chair of the Latino Jewish Congressional Caucus, spoke during the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of New York’s annual breakfast, a gathering of esteemed leaders, public officials, and advocates committed to justice and equality.
During his remarks, Rep. Espaillat spoke from the heart on the impact of immigration to New York City and the nation.
"As an immigrant myself, I cannot ignore the growing fear gripping our communities. Across New York City, parents are too afraid to send their children to school, workers are hesitant to go to their jobs, and seniors are missing vital medical appointments—all out of fear that they could be detained or deported," said Espaillat. "This is not the America I love, and it is not the America that gave me the opportunity to stand before you as a Member of Congress.
"As the Book of Exodus reminds us, 'You shall not mistreat or oppress a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.' These words ring as true today as they did centuries ago," Espaillat continued.
"Let me be clear—our laws already ensure that those who commit violent crimes face the full weight of justice. But recent policies go far beyond that, seeking to cast a wider net that unfairly targets immigrants for minor infractions—people who are mothers, fathers, and grandparents, people who contribute to our society every day. Deporting these individuals weakens families, and weak families make a weak nation."
During his remarks, Rep. Espaillat called for action to address three critical priorities to 1) supporting Dreamers, 2) protect farmworkers, and 3) keep families together.
Watch video of today's remarks during the JCRC's annual breakfast.
A transcript of Rep. Espaillat’s address in its entirety is below:
Good morning, everyone. I would be remiss if I did not bring up an issue that is critically important to New York City today. There are many people in our city—families, workers, seniors—who are living in fear. And so, I want to talk about immigrants today, because I am an immigrant myself.
The Good Book, the Book of Exodus, tells us: "You shall not mistreat or oppress a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt." This is a fundamental principle of faith and justice, one that resonates deeply with our shared values.
This past week has been troubling in New York. Mothers and fathers are afraid to send their children to school. Workers are not showing up to their jobs. People are huddled in their apartments, too afraid to leave their homes. Seniors are missing their medical appointments, fearing that even a nurse might turn them in. This is the reality in our city today, and it would be a travesty if I stood before you and failed to speak on it.
Let me be clear—there are already 170 laws on the books ensuring that if someone commits a violent crime—if they kill someone, assault someone with a deadly weapon, or rape a woman—they will be arrested, convicted, and deported. That is already law. Anything beyond that is redundant and has another intent: to cast a wider net, to target individuals who pose no threat, to punish the father or mother who jumped a turnstile, the grandmother who committed a non-violent infraction. These individuals risk being arrested and deported without even a trial, leaving their families in crisis. That is not justice. That is not the America I love.
A family torn apart is a weak family, and weak families make a weak nation. That is why we must support three key priorities as we move forward:
1. We support Dreamers. These are young people who came here as children, who are now nurses, teachers, business owners, and homeowners. They contribute to our society, and they deserve a path to regularization.
2. We support farmworkers. Forty percent of them are undocumented, and their absence from the workforce will be felt in our supermarkets, in our businesses, and in our economy. When they cannot work, it affects us all.
3. We support keeping families together. A just and compassionate immigration system should not separate parents from children, husbands from wives, or grandparents from their families. Keeping families together is not only humane—it strengthens our communities and our nation.
This is a crisis. A crisis of values—of democratic values, of American values. And so, we ask for your support. We cannot afford to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that this fear and uncertainty do not exist, because they do.
This is not the America that I love. The America that I love is the one that gave a young boy, who came here on a visitor’s visa and overstayed, the opportunity to become a Member of Congress. That young boy was me. So, I ask you today, let us work together. Let us stand by our values. Let us remember: "You shall not mistreat or oppress a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt."
Thank you.
# # #
Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his third term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities. He is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Second Vice Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip. Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.
Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov