On Thursday evening, Chapman University senior Valeria Delgado found herself inside a bustling House chamber in the U.S. Capitol, thousands of miles away from her home in Orange.
She was one of hundreds of guests lawmakers invited to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on March 7, an annual message the president delivers to a joint session of Congress.
Related: These are the State of the Union guests accompanying OC representatives
“Sitting there was a surreal experience. It was something I never imagined would happen in my life,” said Delgado. “Watching it on television is one thing. Sitting there experiencing everything, the reactions to any statements made, clapping and being part of that great environment just left me speechless.”
Guests at the annual address are invited by lawmakers largely to put a face to a current political issue or a cause important to them.
For Democratic Rep. Lou Correa, that’s immigration.
Ever since being elected to Congress, Correa, the son of Mexican immigrants, said he has taken with him a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the Obama-era immigration policy that provides certain protections from deportation for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, commonly referred to as “Dreamers” based on never-passed proposals in Congress called the DREAM Act that would have provided similar protections for young immigrants.
“I’ve chosen to advocate for immigrants because I live in a community of immigrants,” said Correa, who represents Anaheim, Santa Ana, Stanton and parts of Orange and Fullerton in the 46th congressional district.
“What I have done over the last eight years is really try to put the face of this issue in front of the president and in front of Congress,” he said. “A ‘Dreamer’ who is part of a family who works hard day in and day out.”
“Valeria’s from the district, she grew up in the area,” he said. “She’s an honest,…
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