The children of Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos’ will have good seats when President Donald Trump addresses Congress next week.
Reps. Raúl Grijalva and Ruben Gallego have invited them as official guests, just two weeks after their mother was deported, the first carried out by the Trump administration.
She had been in the United States for over twenty years, and was detained after voluntarily checking in with local ICE officers – an appointment she has kept annually for years without incident.
“I am pleased to welcome Jaqueline Garcia de Rayos as my guest for the president’s joint session address next week,” Grijalva said. “Two weeks ago, our nation was appalled to see the Trump administration target Jaqueline’s mom, Guadalupe – a wife, breadwinner, mother of two and long-time member of the Phoenix community – with deportation while she met voluntarily with ICE officials."
"Jaqueline and her brother have shown tremendous courage in speaking out against Trump’s abhorrent immigration policies, which recent DHS memos have made clear are nothing short of mass deportation. Their example is a bright light of hope for immigrant communities across this country who are fearful that Trump will come for them next. Their fight is all of our fight, and I am proud to stand side-by-side with them in opposition to these atrocious policies," he said.
