Local resident among DACA recipients that met with President Biden in the White House
Coachella Valley resident Leydy Rangel was among a group of six DACA recipients invited to the White House on Friday to meet with President Joe Biden.
#BREAKING: Today, Leydy Rangel, @UFWFoundation, Dreamer, and proud daughter of #farmworkers will be speaking with @POTUS about our urgent need for immigration reform. Si Se Puede, Leydy! #FarmworkerLegalization #SiSePuede #wearehome pic.twitter.com/C9R7tTNNu2
— UFW Foundation (@ufwfoundation) May 14, 2021
The President met with the "Dreamers" in the Oval office to discuss the issue of immigration.
"The President told us that he is with us," Rangel said.
It's the first time Biden has met with a group of people that aren't officials. The meeting was held with the goal of pressuring Congress to pass a bill that would create a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and give legal status farmworkers.
In a statement, the White House indicated that it invited individuals working in different sectors to discuss their experiences.
"It is a signal to all of us that the White House under this administration is with us in this fight to win legalization for the Dreamers and for the farmworkers," Rangel said.
Rangel was born in Mexico and came to the United States when she 8 years old. Her parents worked as farmworkers in the East Valley. She graduated from Desert Mirage High School and now represents the more than 700,000 DACA recipients across the U.S. She also uses her voice to advocate for legislation that would provide legal status for farmworkers.
"Farmworkers get up to work every day, they never ask if the food they are harvesting is going to go to the tables of the Democrats or the Republicans, so with that same feeling the Senators should act," said Rangel.
The bill already advanced in the House but remains stagnant in the Senate. Congressman Raul Ruiz assures that today's meeting is a demonstration that Biden is more ready to sign it.
"When I spoke with the president in his office, it was a very important issue for the Hispanic Caucus in Congress," said Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz, the chair of the caucus.
Details: Rep. Ruiz leads Congressional Hispanic Caucus in meeting with President Biden, VP Harris
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has been speaking up for the Latino community and all Americans since 1976. Yesterday, @POTUS and I met with CHC members to discuss how we can work together to address COVID, get shots in arms, create jobs, and fix our broken immigration system. pic.twitter.com/1Z21VpFu9s
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) April 21, 2021
It's estimated that more than 5,000 Dreamers from Ruiz's 36th District will benefit from the passage of the American Dream and Promise Act.
"I can honestly tell you that the president in all sincerity cares so much about the Dreamers and is going to use the words of Leydy and the others to push 10 Republicans to vote," Ruiz said.
For Rangel, she says her meeting with Biden was very positive. She hopes that this year will establish a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants.
"The community has to keep organizing ourselves to ensure that our voices continue to be heard in the White House and in the Senate as well," Rangel concluded.
This is the second time DACA recipients have made it to the White House. The first time was in 2015 with President Barack Obama, when Biden was vice president.
If you would to learn more about this meeting, check out Marco Revuelta spanish story for our sister station, Telemundo 15.
Joven del Valle entre los ‘Dreamers’ que Biden recibió en la Casa Blanca
