Espaillat: Take that, Donald Trump

State Sen. Adriano Espaillat, the Democratic nominee for New York’s 13th Congressional District, would seek to uphold the cause of undocumented immigrants if he is elected, he told The Press in an interview Monday. 

Mr. Espaillat will run against Republican nominee Tony Evans in November for a House seat that will be left vacant by retiring Rep. Charlie Rangel, a Democrat. If he wins, Mr. Espaillat would be the first Dominican-American to represent the 13th district, and the first congressman ever who was once an undocumented immigrant.

He hopes his story would help sway those in Congress who staunchly oppose an easing up of immigration laws, Mr. Espaillat told The Press. 

“We came here on a visitor’s visa, and overstayed our visa, and then at some period we had to get our documents, although as a young boy, I still remember what that felt like,” he said. “I hope that telling that story to Congress might help some folks make up their minds on immigration and so on and so forth.”

The remarks echoed a theme from Mr. Espaillat’s address to the Democratic National Convention last month, when he spoke about his historic nomination and about what it would mean if he won his congressional race. 

“You take that, Donald Trump,” he said to a round of applause. “For us immigrants, our dedication to this country isn’t always found in our papers, in our documents.”

Mr. Espaillat spoke on the convention floor in the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on July 25, surrounded by fellow New York, including Mayor Bill de Blasio, Rep. Eliot Engel and Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Other main issues in Mr. Espaillat’s election campaign are housing issues and a plan to open a district office in the Bronx. 

“I want to take a look at the empowerment zone, how it functions and how we can make it better,” he said.

Mr. Espaillat’s Dominican heritage has played a large role in his political career, both by garnering widespread support from Latino communities and by giving him a platform from which he can spread his message on immigration.

“It was a great experience to address Democrats across the nation on very important issues particularly about immigration, which I think I so relevant and important for the entire nation,” he said. “This is an issue that has been harboring above us that has not been resolved and needs to be resolved.”

Mr. Espaillat won the Democratic primary this summer after a crowded race in which nine candidates vied for the congressional nomination.