While American lawmakers are traditionally allowed to invite guests to join them for the State of the Union Address, several Democrats have chosen to make a statement with this year’s invitations.
WATCH: Trump says DACA part of immigration reform talks, says deal must ‘improve’ security for Americans
Thirty-two lawmakers, both senators and House representatives, opted to invite Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients to accompany them to the address.
This includes high-profile senators like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Dick Durbin, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and others. Ahead of the address, several Democrats took to social media to share photos of them with their guests.
The DACA program has been a point of pressure for U.S. President Donald Trump since September 2017 — when the administration announced it would end the program that offered young adults brought into the country illegally as children a path to citizenship.
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Under Trump’s order, the program is set to end for hundreds of thousands of “Dreamers” in March.
DACA recipients – coined “Dreamers” – were protected from deportation under the Obama-era program.
Recent months have seen lawmakers attempt to negotiate an immigration plan that extends protection from deportation to DACA recipients.
However, lawmakers’ inability to reach a deal led to a U.S. government shutdown in early January, followed a few days later by a three-week spending bill to keep the government open for negotiations.
This move drew a negative response from one Republican congressman, Rep. Paul Gosar or Arizona’s fourth congressional district. The congressman tweeted from his official account that he’d contacted the U.S. Capitol Police and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to request that they check the identification of those attending the address and to arrest any “illegal aliens” in attendance.
Trump announced during the address that Republicans and Democrats had agreed on a new immigration plan which would involve both a path to citizenship for over 1.8 million people, as well as funding to secure the border.
During the speech, Trump said that this plan would cover three times more people than the previous administration covered, and that those individuals who demonstrated skills and good behaviour would be able to pursue citizenship over a 12-month period.
In addition, Trump stated that the Visa lottery program will be terminated under the new immigration plan, and sponsorships will be limited to just spouses and children.
Here’s a full list of the Democrats bringing DACA recipients to the State of the Union Address:
- Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois: Cesar Montelongo, the first Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program student enrolled in the MD-PhD program at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
- Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California: Denea Joseph, a DACA recipient
- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon: Leonardo Reyes, a DACA recipient
- Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada: Flor de Maria Campos, a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipient from El Salvador
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts: Jean Bradley Derenoncourt, the first Haitian-American man elected to public office in the Commonwealth
- Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey: Elizabeth Vilchis, a DACA recipient and the founder of latinoTech
- Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico: Ivonne Orozco-Acosta, a DACA recipient and a Teacher at the Public Academy for Performing Arts
- Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-California: Melody Klingenfuss a DACA recipient and the statewide youth organizer of CHIRLA’s California Dream Network and Virginia Delegate Elizabeth Guzman, who immigrated from Peru
- Rep. David Price, D-North Carolina: America Moreno Jimenez, a DACA recipient and teacher at Sanderson High School
- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon: Aldo Solano, a DACA recipient and policy director at the Oregon Latino Health Coalition
- Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-New Mexico: Dalia Medina, a DACA recipient and a clinical social worker
- Rep. Judy Chu, D-California: Jung Bin Cho, a DACA recipient and Immigrant Rights’ Fellow at the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)
- Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-California: Leticia Herrera-Mendez, a DACA recipient and student at California State University San Bernardino
- Rep. Lou Correa, D-California: Leslie Martinez, a DACA recipient and a student at the University of California
- Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-California: Itayu Torres, a DACA recipient and a student at Pasadena City College
- Rep. Scott Peters, D-California: Karen Bahena, a DACA recipient and a research co-ordinator at the University of Nutrition at San Diego State University
- Rep. Bill Foster, D-Illinois: Ana Campa Castillo, a DACA recipient and a student at Joliet Junior College
- Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine: Christian Castaneda a tax representative at HW Staffing Solutions
- Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland: Gabriela Hernandez, a DACA recipient
- Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Florida: Adrian Escarate, a DACA recipient and a professional tennis coach
- Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Michigan: Cindy Garcia, whose husband Jorge Garcia, a 39-year-old father of two, was deported to Mexico after living in the United States for 30 years
- Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kansas: Sunayana Dumala, the widow of Srinivas Kuchibhotla. Kuchibhotla was an Indian immigrant who was killed in a bar shooting in Olathe, Kansas, last year
- Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Illinois: State Senator Kwame Raoul, a first-generation Haitian-American
- Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey: Esder Chong, a DACA recipient
- Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-New York: Diego de la Vega, an intern in her New York district office and a DACA recipient
- Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Massachusetts: Edenilson Granados, a father and Salvadoran immigrant with TPS
- Rep. Nita Lowey, D-New York: Acosta Mazariego, a DACA recipient
- Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Kentucky: Leo Salinas Chacón, a DACA recipient
- Rep. Thomas Suozzi, D-New York: Nelson Melgar, a 27-year-old DACA recipient who was born in Honduras and grew up on Long Island
- Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Virginia: Nicolle Uria, a DACA recipient and high school student
- Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colorado: Anarely, a DACA recipient and student at Colorado State University
- Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona: Antonio Valdovinos, a 27-year old DACA recipient
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