Democrats demanded apologies from top Republicans this week after the House GOP’s campaign arm labeled a member of Congress an “illegal immigrant.”
Rep. Adriano Espaillat was tapped to give the Spanish-language speech responding to President Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday, spurring the National Republican Congressional Committee to say “Democrats literally chose an illegal immigrant to give their response.”
Ms. Espaillat was born in the Dominican Republic and came as a child with his family to the U.S. on a legal visitor’s visa but overstayed that visa. He later won permanent legal status.
He has billed himself as the first “formerly undocumented” person elected to Congress.
Democrats and immigrant rights groups sounded outraged over the GOP’s characterization.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which Mr. Espaillat chairs, called the NRCC’s social media post “xenophobic rhetoric,” saying that Mr. Espaillat “followed the law” to get his affairs in order, became a citizen, got elected to Congress but was still reduced to being “an ‘illegal immigrant.’”
“These people are disgusting,” top House Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said on social media.
Vanessa Cardenas, executive director of America’s Voice, called the NRCC’s words a “vile attack.”
“His story should be celebrated by Republicans and Democrats alike and serve as a model for the types of journeys that a more functional immigration system would empower if reformed,” she said “If a sitting U.S. Congressman is not American ‘enough’, who is then?”
Other activists blamed Mr. Trump for creating an environment for that sort of comment to be made by the GOP campaign committee.
“We should celebrate how Representative Espaillat took legal steps to become a US citizen, not belittle it,” said Frankie Miranda, president of the Hispanic Federation.
