Two Lawmakers Who Arrived as Children Discuss Immigration Stories and Bipartisan Priorities

Two members of Congress who arrived in the United States as children appeared on Face the Nation on July 5, 2026, to describe their families' reasons for immigrating and to outline areas for quick bipartisan action on immigration policy. One lawmaker recalled arriving from the Dominican Republic at age nine and living with grandparents in a Washington Heights apartment while learning English.

Citizen. The other lawmaker described fleeing Cuba with his family at nearly age seven, staying with relatives in a crowded house, and attending a parochial school afterward. His father decided to leave Cuba after concluding that questions the son asked at home reflected communist indoctrination.

Both lawmakers stated that their parents immigrated seeking greater opportunity and freedom. The conversation addressed a recent Supreme Court decision affecting roughly 356,000 people from Haiti and Syria who hold Temporary Protected Status. One lawmaker said Haiti is a failed state and returning TPS holders there would be a mistake.

He also called for reinstating TPS for Venezuelans after recent earthquakes. One lawmaker listed three areas he said could be addressed quickly on a bipartisan basis: regularizing Dreamers who arrived young and have no ties to their birth countries, protecting farmworkers needed in the fields, and keeping families together. The other lawmaker said he agreed with much of that list.

The second lawmaker added that the surge of migrants during the Biden years complicated earlier efforts at compromise, but he argued that now that borders are secured, Congress should normalize long-term undocumented residents so they can work and pay taxes without fear of removal. "My message is to do it the right way. And then you will be welcomed with open arms," one lawmaker said.

"This nation, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary, still has promise. And I think immigration has been a central part of our ability to move forward as a nation," the other said.