Texas Residents Affected By Trump Immigration Policies At SOTU

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Texas will be well represented at the State of the Union address on Tuesday, as more than 15 individuals impacted by the Trump administrations immigration policies — a handful of them from the Lone Star State — will be in attendance as congressional guests.

FWD.us, a bipartisan political organization, sent a list of congressional invitees to Patch prior to the State of the Union address on Tuesday. Donald Trump is expected to reiterate his immigration policies — including his insistence on building a wall along the U.S. southern border to curb illegal immigration. His stance stands in contrast to that of FWD.us that promotes comprehensive immigration and criminal justice reform.

Among the various guests at the address from the U.S. House chamber are several Dreamers, individuals brought into the country as children by undocumented immigrants. An Obama-era policy, DACA was designed to protect from deportation young people who were brought into the U.S. as children illegally by their parents. While the program has garnered broad support, it is jeopardized by the Trump administration's more stringent immigration policies.

Others from elsewhere invited by members of Congress include refugees and mothers impacted by Trump's policy of separating undocumented women from their children upon their entry into the U.S. as a severe deterrent against illegal crossings.

"The guests will give voice to the millions of people across the U.S. who have been put in harm’s way as a result of this Administration's immigration policies," FWD.us officials said.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients from Texas will be among those listening to the speech at the invitation of members of Congress. Among them:

• Devani Nallely Gonzalez Barboza, a substitute teacher at Galena Park Independent School District. Barboza is a guest of Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29).

Bio: Barboza, a substitute teacher at Galena Park Independent School District in Texas, came to the United States when she was 7 years old. Before graduating from San Jacinto Community College in 2017 with an Associate's of Applied Science in Criminal Justice, she was awarded the 2017 Outstanding Criminal Justice Student Award. After graduation, she was a recruit with the Community Volunteer Fire Department. Devani is currently pursuing a second associate’s degree in paralegal studies at San Jacinto Community College. She aspires to become a law enforcement officer but is unable to serve because of her undocumented status.

• Carlos Hernandez of San Antonio and College Station, Texas, a mechanical engineering student at Texas A&M University. Hernandez is a guest of Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20).

Bio: Hernandez is a first-year general engineering student at Texas A&M University and is currently pursuing his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. He is bilingual, a member of Mexican student association at Texas A&M, and actively volunteers in his community. He moved to San Antonio at the age of 6 and is a graduate of the city’s Robert E. Lee High School. He is the first member of his family to attend college. Obtaining DACA has since allowed him to have many opportunities from providing for himself by being able to work in high school and pursue a college education. Carlos comes from a family of seven, including his single mother, two older sisters, two nephews, and a niece. Seeing his family struggle to work in the U.S. because of their status has been his motivation to succeed in school and make a future to show that his family’s journey in the U.S. has not been for nothing.

• Senaida Navar of El Paso, Texas, a professor at the University of Texas at El Paso. Navar is a guest of Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16).

Bio: Nevar has a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in English from the University of Texas at El Paso and is currently working as an instructor of rhetoric and writing in the same university. She is also the communications coordinator for Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA). She began her career in activism as a child attending marches and protest with her mother as part of the Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR). It would be through this organization that she’d become immersed in activism. She comes from a mixed-status family with two DACA recipient sisters and two U.S. citizen sisters, one of whom serves in the Air Force. Early last year, her father was deported after having lived in the United States for more than 20 years as a result of current policies that target families.

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