Dingell Asks President To Honor Promises After State Of The Union

DEARBORN, MI — U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Dearborn Democrat, brought the wife of Jorge Garcia, who was recently deported to Mexico after living in the United States for nearly 30 years, to President Trump's State of the Union address. In a statement about the speech Wednesday, Dingell called many of the president’s future plans “deeply concerning for Michigan and our country.”

Dingell chose Cindy Garcia as her guest for Tuesday speech, announcing the choice Jan. 18, just three days after Garcia’s husband’s deportation. Dingell says she will press for passage of the Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals Act (DACA), also known as the “Dream” act, which would provide a path to citizenship for nearly 800,000 people who were brought to the United States as children.

While she plans to “fight” the president on many issues, Dingell says DACA and a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA) are possible areas of compromise with the administration.

“[W]e need to work together to tackle comprehensive immigration reform. This is not a war of words between Republicans and Democrats. This is about real people’s lives,” Dingell said in her statement. “I was joined at the speech by Cindy Garcia, an American citizen born in Royal Oak, Michigan – a UAW working mom who is trying to do the right thing, but whose family has been ripped apart by our broken immigration system.

"Cindy's husband Jorge came to the country at 10 years old and has never received so much as a traffic ticket. He was not a criminal or a gang member. He was a respected member of our community, a hard worker who paid taxes, helped many and was loved by all. Yet he was deported to Mexico, a country he doesn't know and his family is devastated. America was his home,” Dingell added.

In his speech, Trump addressed the Dreamers’ situation by implying that immigrants are a threat to Americans.

“My duty, and the sacred duty of every elected official in this chamber, is to defend Americans — to protect their safety, their families, their communities, and their right to the American Dream. Because Americans are dreamers too,” the president said.

The DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education of Alien Minors) Act, introduced in 2001, would give legal status to undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. Many in this group of young immigrants, ofter referred to as Dreamers, were allowed to stay in the US and work and attend school under President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. President Trump rescinded DACA this fall, and current registered DACA clients may lose protected status and face deportation as soon as March.

While many decried the president’s comment, former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke was quick to Tweet his approval:

Despite the contentious nature of last night’s speech, during which the president was booed several times, Dingell thinks there are areas of compromise, including immigration.

“What matters more than the words the President said tonight is his actions. He must deliver on the promises he made to the working men and women I represent, including renegotiating NAFTA in a way that ends outsourcing, raises wages and brings manufacturing back to this country,” Dingell said in her statement. “The American people want to see us work together to get things done – from crafting an immigration policy that secures our nation without tearing families apart to stabilizing the health insurance marketplace in a way that brings down costs and ensures every American has access to affordable quality health care,” she added.

Photo of Debbie Dingell and Cindy Garcia via U.S. Rep Debbie Dingell.