Issue Position: Immigration Reform

Issue Position

Immigration reform is personal to Adriano Espaillat, he came to upper Manhattan from the Dominican Republic with no papers when he was a child, and through hard work and determination was given the opportunity to represent his community. In Albany, Adriano has always been a strong advocate for policies to bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows, passing legislation in 2002 to grant undocumented immigrants access to in-state tuition and calling for New York to take the next step by passing the NYS DREAM Act.

Adriano believes that immigration reform is a defining civil rights issue of our time, and our broken and archaic system has inflicted immeasurable suffering on the over half million undocumented immigrants in New York City. For undocumented New Yorkers who arrived in this country hoping to provide a better future for their children, immigration status impacts every aspect of their lives, and limits their education and employment prospects. Adriano will fight for true immigration reform, that offers a path to citizenship, so undocumented immigrants can emerge from the shadows and access the "American Dream'.

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