The first Latino from California elected to Congress since 1879, he would become one of the most influential Latino politicians on Capitol Hill. “The white establishment of that time was not happy that a Latino was elected to the City Council,” Roybal-Allard said. The Dream Act has since gone through 11 variations and has been stuck in the Senate since. As the Dream Act stalled in Congress, President Barack Obama in 2012 announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as DACA, through an executive order. Asked how she wants to be remembered after her retirement at the end of this Congress in January, Roybal-Allard focused on the work.

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