Political Quotes

“I too dream of that day. You see, half of my family is still undocumented. Half of my family has lived here for almost 40 years. My uncle, Max Guerra, will be turning 70 in 2 years. He works at a diner. He works 65 to 70 hours a week, standing there preparing meals for others to be able to enjoy. I asked him: Tio, you are almost 70, why are you still working so much? He says to me: Delia, I have to make sure that all my four boys get through college. I have to help them pay for college because I have no way of guaranteeing that I will be here tomorrow or the day after because of my immigration status. I have to work like today is the last day that I will be able to provide for my family. My uncle, Max Miliano Guerra, is not alone. As we think about this broken immigration system and as we think about healthcare, I have to go back to that moment where I proudly stood on the statehouse floor and passed legislation to expand healthcare coverage to people who are undocumented and over the age of 42. I remember receiving a letter from a young woman who had just become a citizen. Her letter to me said, Representative Ramirez, I wish you would have been in the statehouse just a few years before. I wish you would have been able to pass the legislation you passed a few years ago because if you had done that my father would still be alive today.…”