Representative Adriano Espaillat Condemns Undue Profiling Against Latino Elected Official

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representatives Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07) rebuked Rep. Mike Lawler (NY-17) for questioning the citizenship of a fellow public official. 

“We are writing to express deep concern regarding your recent questioning of the citizenship status of José Alvarado, a duly elected member of the Westchester County Board of Legislators. This action represents an inexcusable aggression, perpetuating harmful and discriminatory narratives that disproportionately affect Latino and other marginalized communities,” stated Espaillat and Velázquez in a letter to Lawler. "In a time when racial and ethnic profiling continues to threaten the rights of American residents, your words carry weight and consequence. Your words contribute to a broader climate of discrimination, where racial and ethnic profiling has led to unlawful detentions of U.S. citizens, including military veterans, Native Americans, and others wrongly questioned about their identity by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Reports suggest that many caught in immigration raids are targeted based on race and ethnicity rather than criminal activity, despite undocumented status being a civil offense, not a crime. As an elected official, it is imperative that you uphold the values of respect, fairness, and dignity for all individuals, regardless of their racial or ethnic background. As such, we urge you to issue a formal and public apology to José Alvarado and reaffirm your commitment to treating everyone with dignity and respect. Failing to address this matter appropriately only deepens existing divisions and erodes public trust in our institutions," the letter concluded.

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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