Democratic Congresswoman-elect Delia Ramirez vows to fight for 'Dreamer' husband who could face deportation

Democratic Representative-elect Delia Ramirez, a pro-immigration reformer who recently won a bid to U.S. Congress may be facing her most gut wrenching battle yet—trying to save own husband, a DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipient from deportation.

In an emotional plea for to support the Obama-era implemented DREAM Act, Ramirez recently came out in a press conference at the U.S. Capitol to declare her concerns and frustration with the issue.

The original bipartisan DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act) was introduced in 2001 by Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin and Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, and was renewed in 2019 by Durbin with help from GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham.

While some prominent Republicans who have supported the bill include Sens. John McCain, Jon Kyl and Richard Cornyn, it has been staunchly opposed by others such as Sen. Tom Cotton who believe the legislation would take jobs away from U.S. born citizens and those immigrants who entered the country legally.

A 2021 report compiled by Cotton, and citing the Congressional Budget Office argues that the DREAM Act would cost U.S. taxpayers as much as $26 billion to offer amnesty for the so-called Dreamers, insisting it would “require American taxpayers to pay for health insurance subsidies, tax credits, and welfare programs for illegal aliens.”

Cotton also made the argument, based on data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that, “87% of DACA recipients are older that 20, and approximately 130,000 DACA recipients are in the 30s.”

The program was rescinded by the Trump administration in 2017 in hopes of creating a replacement

“This is very personal for me,” Ramirez said, referencing Democrats’ efforts to create a legal pathway for “Dreamers,” a group of about two million undocumented migrants who are seeking citizenship.

Ramirez, who is now entering Congress after a five year stint in the Illinois House of Representatives, said that despite past failures to pass the monumental congressional proposal, she will never stop pushing forward.

“I am the wife of a DACA recipient. I am the daughter of Guatemalan working immigrants. I know firsthand the challenges and constant fear our families live every single day,” she told journalists. “We have to end this.”

Ramirez, 39, has lived in the U.S. her entire life, but her mother came to the country as an immigrant after crossing the treacherous Rio Grande river at the southwest border dividing Mexico and Texas, according to her campaign website.

“Her mother crossed the border while pregnant with Delia and worked multiple low-wage jobs to give her children a fighting chance to escape poverty. Delia’s father worked two jobs and alternated switched shifts with her Mom so that they could care for their children.

“Delia witnessed firsthand how important social services were, as she watched neighbors come to her church for housing assistance, food and services for undocumented. She saw the heartbreaking financial crises that her parents and many others in her community shouldered, hoping to provide a better life for their children.”

Those experiences inspired Ramirez to become a fighter for working families and immigrants in all areas across the spectrum including housing, schools and health care. As a result of her upbringing, she spent 18 years working as a non-profit leader at homeless shelters and organizations such as the Latin United Community Housing Association.

“I didn’t have to shy away from the fact that I’m working class and that my husband’s a DACA recipient, that I’m worried about how I’m going to pay for housing. That is the reality of so many people,” she said. “And I want men and women, young and old to see my and think, ‘That was… my daughter… or I’m an intern somewhere and I don’t feel seen. But if she could do it, so can I.”

While Ramirez’s life story inspired her to try and save migrants from deportation, she now faces the most personal battle of her lifetime—saving her husband before he gets repatriated to Guatemala, a prospect that she told CNN, keeps her up at night.

She says she met her husband, Boris Hernandez, through her cousin in October 2020 and quickly fell in love during the coronavirus pandemic. Hernandez came to the U.S. when he was only 14 and was able to stay as a result of President Barack Obama’s implementation of DACA.

On Aug. 17, 2020, Hernandez announced her engagement to Hernandez and shared pictures of the two lovebirds together.

“I met the love of my life, my soulmate and life partner,” she tweeted. “Yesterday at a place sacred to me (Humboldt Park) at sunset and with family right next to us, I said, Yes! I love you Boris Hernández, you know and share my roots.

Since then, the two lovebirds have been virtually inseparable.

She has shared her husband and mothers’ experiences with her constituents and even brought Hernandez along to her campaign events, which has reportedly been widely popular.

He also escorted his new wife on voting day to cast her ballot in her own congressional race. Ramirez said Hernandez was excited to go even though he couldn’t vote.

Representing a recently redrawn Illinois congressional district that is almost half Hispanic and true blue, the Latina Democrat has a lot of home support behind her in her mission, according to according to CNN affiliate WLS.

Ramirez, who won 66% of the vote against her Republican challenger is also the first Latina elected to Congress in the Midwest and won in an election that broke the record for the highest number of Hispanic to ever serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Because Ramirez married Hernandez, he will have a separate path to citizenship. Still, their courtship could come to a screeching halt if U.S. District Court judge Andrew Hanen, a George W. Bush appointee in Texas, ends DACA with an upcoming ruling.

The issue is a stressful one since Ramirez will have a lot on her legislative plate as a newly elected member of Congress. But she says the issues are not mutually exclusive she envisions fighting for immigration reform as an important cause for millions of others, an issue she says keeps her up at night.

Ramirez insists that the immigration issue is not a left or right issue for Democrats of Republicans and would benefit all Americans, saying the issue is an “and” for everyone instead of an ‘or.”

While speaking she became emotional and trying to fight back tears she said, “it’s time to deliver for our Dreamers. It’s time for Boris Hernandez to finally have a pathway to citizenship.”

In 2019, when the Act was sponsored again by Durbin and Graham, it was designed to only protect those immigrants who came into the country before the age of 18, had continuously remained in the U.S. for at least four years, obtained or were pursuing a high school diploma and must not have been convicted of a felony or three misdemeanors on separate occasions.

“These young people have lived in America since they were children and built their lives here,” Sen. Graham said at the time. “There is support across the country for allowing Dreamers — who have records of achievement — to stay, work, and reach their full potential. We should not squander these young people’s talents.”