Washington, DC – February 4, 2019 – Congresswoman Barbara Lee announced that Oakland resident Maria Mendoza-Sanchez would be her guest to the 2019 State of the Union. Mendoza-Sanchez is an oncology nurse at Alameda Health System – Highland Hospital who was caught up in the Trump Administration’s harsh immigration policies and deported to Mexico in 2017. In December 2018, Mendoza-Sanchez secured a H-1B visa through her employer and was reunited with her daughters in Oakland after a 16-month separation.
“I am honored to bring Maria as my guest to the State of the Union. Maria is a beloved nurse, neighbor and friend in the East Bay. She is a living example of the incalculable contributions that immigrants make to our communities every single day,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “Because of President Trump’s punitive, unjust and immoral deportation agenda, Maria suffered a heart-wrenching and unnecessary separation from her family and loved ones. We were thrilled to welcome Maria home, but the pain caused by the Trump Administration’s draconian immigration policies continues to this day.”
Click here for more on Maria Mendoza-Sanchez’s story. A photograph of Congresswoman Lee and Maria Mendoza-Sanchez is also available here.
Contact
Emma Lydon
202.226.0323
Emma.Lydon@mail.house.gov