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The pursuing is the afloat transcript of an interrogation with Reps. Adriano Espaillat, Democrat of New York, and Carlos Gimenez, Republican of Florida, a information of which aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected July 5, 2026. The interrogation was taped connected July 2, 2026.
ED O'KEEFE: We crook present to Democratic Congressman Adriano Espaillat of New York and Republican Congressman Carlos- Carlos Gimenez of Florida. Congressmen, some of you, convey you for joining us. I privation to commencement with you, Congressman Gimenez. You were astir 7 years aged erstwhile your household fled from Cuba astatine the commencement of the Castro regime. What bash you retrieve astir those aboriginal days successful Florida?
REP. GIMENEZ: Well, I retrieve that we- we- we each went to 1 house. My uncle, my aunt were benignant capable to instrumentality america in. There were astir 21 radical successful that house, and I retrieve vividly my archetypal time going to school. The time before, I went to, you know, they took maine to a parochial school, and, and past the nuns saying that time was my archetypal time of school, that was my archetypal connection successful English. Until then, I lone spoke Spanish, and truthful that, I vividly remember, and past the aboriginal days there, it's like- it's similar a blur, obviously, you know, but- but, yeah, it was, it was wholly antithetic than my experiences had been successful Cuba.
ED O'KEEFE: And Congressman Espaillat, arsenic I recognize it, you were astir 9 erstwhile you came to the United States from the Dominican Republic. I ideate New York City was a spot antithetic backmost then.
REP. ESPAILLAT: Of course. The upwind was cold, obviously. I retrieve the acold weather. We lived with our grandparents, who had a four-and-a-half bedroom- chamber flat successful Washington Heights, and we got determination successful December, and of course, we went to school. Remember sitting successful the backmost of the classroom, and for a twelvemonth oregon more, not knowing truly a connection of English, but surely and dilatory we- we acclimated, and present we are.
ED O'KEEFE: Do either of you retrieve your parents ever explaining wherefore they wanted to go Americans?
REP. GIMENEZ: Well, I mean, successful my case--
REP. ESPAILLAT: Yes, I- my grandmother--
ED O'KEEFE: Go ahead, Congressman Espaillat.
REP. GIMENEZ: Go ahead.
REP. ESPAILLAT: Yeah, my grandma was the archetypal 1 to go a U.S. citizen, and she was truthful arrogant of it. And I remembered that she spoke astir it, astir however large this federation is, and however it gave america a caller accidental of moving forward, but she was truly arrogant of becoming an American citizen, and I deliberation it translated past backmost down to each of us.
ED O'KEEFE: And Congressman Gimenez?
REP. GIMENEZ: Well, I mean, you know, look I was, I was 7 years old. I mean, my dada and ma weren't talking geo- you know, authorities backmost then, but past aboriginal on, obviously, arsenic I was increasing up, I knew precisely wherefore we came to the United States. We came to the United States, my parents were seeking freedom, not lone for themselves, but for us, his children, my sister and I. To springiness america the accidental to unrecorded successful a onshore of freedom. I callback 1 time I asked him, 'Hey, wherefore is it that we came to the United States?' a small spot older, and helium told maine a communicative astir however I had travel location and I'd asked him a question, and to him it felt similar we were being indoctrinated, you know, into communism. And he- helium decided close past and determination that we had to permission due to the fact that helium wanted to give, similar I said, my sister and I the accidental and the state that the United States, you know, gave him, my- my mother, and past us. That's the crushed wherefore we came to the United States.
ED O'KEEFE: And present some of you are successful positions of power and powerfulness arsenic members of Congress, and determination are, of course, each sorts of issues facing the United States Congress and the state overall. And 1 of them, of course, continues to beryllium immigration, and we saw successful caller days the Supreme Court contented a fewer decisions regarding immigration. I wanted to commencement with the 1 regarding birthright citizenship. The justices said that that is, successful fact, guaranteed successful the Constitution. The White House, however, isn't wholly backing disconnected the fight. The Deputy Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller, claimed 'American citizenship isn't the birthright of the world, it belongs lone and solely to Americans.' I'm curious, and Congressman Gimenez, we tin commencement with you. How bash you specify American citizenship, oregon however bash you specify what it means to beryllium an American?
REP. GIMENEZ: Well, look- what defines to beryllium an American, I'm an American. I mean, I've been here, you know, the immense bulk of my life. I deliberation successful English, and I emotion this country. I emotion this state due to the fact that of the opportunities and the state that has been- it's fixed maine and my family, my children, my grandchildren. And truthful I person a heavy appreciation of what America and the United States, you know, are. I agreed with the Supreme Court interpretation. It's- it's really pretty- beauteous good established successful instrumentality for astir 130 years. I besides agree, though, that immoderate things, you know, we request to bash immoderate things successful Congress astir this cottage manufacture of, you know, childbirth citizenship. Bringing, you know, mothers successful conscionable to person a kid successful the United States, and past them flying back. The founding fathers, oregon the writers of the 14th Amendment, I don't deliberation ever had that successful mind. And truthful that's thing that we can- that we tin fix. But if idiosyncratic is calved present successful the United States and they're nether the jurisdiction of the United States, which, if you're here, unless you're a diplomat, you're nether the jurisdiction of the United States, that's the law. And- and truthful you know, I ever felt that that challenge, you know, truly was going to fail, and you know, I was- I was proven right, but we bash person to- Congress does person to hole immoderate of the things to marque it much hard for idiosyncratic conscionable to travel to the United States to person a child, to person an American citizen. I deliberation that's abusing the system.
ED O'KEEFE: Congressman Espaillat?
REP. ESPAILLAT: Well, the birthright citizenship is embedded, obviously, successful the 14th Amendment, and the Supreme Court conscionable stated that, though a precise choky decision, but it's been handed down to us. The Wong Kim Ark case, backmost successful the precocious 1800s established that if you were calved here, you were a U.S. citizen. And birthright tourism is minuscule, it's astir nonexistent successful presumption of the measurement of cases of radical that are calved here. 250,000 children would person been impacted yearly by- had the determination gone the different way. But citizenship for me, and being an American, is opportunity. I imagination successful English and successful Spanish. What a large accidental that is for anybody successful this federation to person a changeable at- astatine moving guardant and to unrecorded wrong the parameters of what this federation offers millions of people. What a large nation. Still has anticipation and opportunity.
ED O'KEEFE: Both of you correspond areas wherever determination are galore radical nether Temporary Protected Status, but the Supreme Court successful caller days besides ruled that astir 356,000 oregon truthful radical from Haiti and Syria are going to suffer their TPS. And past that determination of people follows the Trump administration's determination to cancel their impermanent ineligible protections. The tribunal did say, however, that it's up to the Homeland Security Secretary to determine whether oregon not to assistance idiosyncratic presumption oregon extremity it. This contented is possibly astir acute successful South Florida, fixed the Haitian community. Congressman Gimenez, I'm curious, what should the Secretary do? What should the medication bash present with these hundreds of thousands of people?
REP. GIMENEZ: Well, I deliberation successful the- successful the lawsuit of Haiti, without a doubt, you know, Haiti is simply a failed state, and I deliberation that deporting Haitians that are nether TPS, close now, backmost to Haiti would beryllium a immense mistake. I mean, that's the crushed wherefore TPS was established to statesman with. Just similar with Venezuelans, if Venezuelans suffer their TPS status, which they person too, we should reinstate that, due to the fact that of the devastation caused by these earthquakes that happened past week. And so, you know, TPS should be- should not beryllium abused. TPS is what it says, impermanent protective status, and if you're present for a fig of years, you should alteration your presumption from TPS to thing else. But by the aforesaid token, it is meant to safeguard those that are fleeing countries, which are either failed states, and they would beryllium astatine hazard of going backmost to them, oregon countries that truly can't grip them close now, arsenic the lawsuit of Venezuela, who is, you know, suffered a- a earthy catastrophe and is having a hard clip conscionable maintaining the radical that are there. And so, look, it- TPS, again, is temporary, but when- erstwhile it's- erstwhile there's bully origin for it, it needs to beryllium granted, and I deliberation there's good- there's bully statement for the radical of Venezuela and the radical of Haiti to person impermanent protective status.
ED O'KEEFE: Is determination immoderate benignant of legislature pressure, Congressman Espaillat, that should beryllium enactment connected the medication to effort to halt them from sending backmost either Haitians, Venezuelans, Syrians, immoderate of these different radical who person travel from countries--
REP. ESPAILLAT: Of course.
ED O'KEEFE: --with either earthy oregon governmental strife?
REP. ESPAILLAT: Of course, it volition beryllium horrible that you nonstop backmost radical to a information that doesn't safeguard their lives. I mean, TPS truly is offered to radical that are successful a state wherever there's a credible fearfulness for their life, oregon wherever a earthy catastrophe has occurred, oregon their beingness whitethorn beryllium successful information due to the fact that the authorities wants to incarcerate them oregon harm them. And truthful evidently sending them backmost to a state that is tally by gangs is horrible. Sending them backmost to Venezuela, fixed the conditions determination close present aft the earthquake, is besides arsenic troubling. So, we indispensable enactment each pressures disposable to guarantee that that they're not sent back, and that the mystique of our federation is preserved, which is that this is simply a onshore that volition supply immoderate assistance and screen and harbor those that are successful dire request of help, due to the fact that of a earthy disaster, due to the fact that of a dictatorship that wants to incarcerate them oregon termination them. That's what America is about, and I'm blessed that we tin proceed to advocator for this facet of America.
ED O'KEEFE: You know, listening to you 2 implicit the past fewer minutes, I perceive a batch of statement successful galore ways, but you're- you're among, you know, you're arrogant members of your party, and- and they person bickered for years implicit this issue, and we could walk the full hr debating immigration, we won't. But- but fixed your enactment and acquisition connected this, fixed what you cognize astir your constituents and wherever you guys person travel from, what mightiness beryllium the easiest, fastest bipartisan hole Congress could marque to woody with immigration? And successful this case, Congressman Espaillat, fto maine statesman with you.
REP. ESPAILLAT: I judge precise powerfully that it should beryllium bipartisan, and of course, determination are 3 peculiar items that I deliberation are casual to fix. Dreamers is 1 of them. These are young radical that came present erstwhile they were one, 2 years old. Many of them don't talk the connection of their homeland oregon person nary connections whatsoever with the state wherever they were born, yet they're Americans, but for 1 thing, a greenish card. It's a fixed fig of them. I deliberation astir radical hold that they should beryllium fto in, they should beryllium allowed to enactment here. So, regularizing them is one. Farm workers, who- galore of whom are not going to the fields to enactment due to the fact that they're acrophobic they're going to beryllium arrested and deported, and we request them. And past keeping families unneurotic is important, due to the fact that a household that's divided, that's fractured, is simply a anemic family, and galore anemic families marque up a anemic nation. So, these are 3 items: dreamers, workplace workers, and keeping families together, and of course, TPS is portion of keeping families together.
ED O'KEEFE: Congressman Gimenez, immoderate of those connected your list?
REP. GIMENEZ: Look, I hold with a batch of what, you know, the congressman has said. The occupation that we have, look, the problem- the occupation astir migration got exacerbated due to the fact that we- the unfastened borders that we had during the Biden years. And you had millions and millions- radical coming into the United States, and it truly drove the contented of immigration, you know, home. And I thought we were getting person to immoderate benignant of a solution until that happened. The borders are present closed, and I've ever said that erstwhile you- erstwhile you unafraid the borders, past we tin person an honorable statement astir the radical that are here, the immigrants that are here, those are undocumented. And I deliberation that we tin scope a solution. I deliberation determination was- determination are plentifulness of radical with plentifulness of ideas. The occupation was that due to the fact that of what happened successful the past 4 years, you couldn't adjacent speech astir it due to the fact that you had to power the borders. Well, the borders are controlled now, and I deliberation we request to walk thing that says, look, 'You're conscionable not going to person unfastened borders.' But now- present we person to woody with the radical that are here. I don't deliberation anybody wants criminals to beryllium here. I don't deliberation anybody wants pack members to beryllium here. I deliberation that radical with progressive deportation orders, yeah, okay, but those that person been present for years, DACA is simply a large illustration of that, okay. And those that person been present for years, that person been working, are portion of the community, that are portion of the economy, we request to find a mode to normalize them. Doesn't needfully mean that they're going to beryllium citizens astatine the extremity of the day, but to normalize them, truthful they tin travel retired of the shadows, wage taxes, and past you cognize unrecorded their beingness without having, you know, fearfulness of idiosyncratic coming up and- and taking them distant aft 20 thing years, and separating from- from their children that they've had during that time, and truthful we person to find a solution. I deliberation that the solution could beryllium bipartisan, but it's besides seems, you know, erstwhile the Democrats were successful control, it wasn't- it didn't happen. When we were successful control, it didn't happen. It's got to happen. We've got- we- we got to halt kicking this tin down the road. We got to person the debate. Everything, you know, immoderate comes retired of it, I'm sure, you know, the Democrats won't similar 100% of it, the Republicans won't similar 100% of it. And if that's the case, if that's the last solution, it's astir apt the bully solution. You know, nobody's going to beryllium 100% happy, and- and we can't always- the 1 last happening is, we can't lick the occupation for 100% of the people. And truthful we can- we tin lick the occupation for 90% of the people. I deliberation we request to marque that effort, and past you cognize the different 10% you know, we'll enactment that retired later, but we- we request to find a solution to the contented of immigration.
ED O'KEEFE: I do, astatine least, perceive the 2 of you saying possibly the contented of dreamers, those young people, galore of whom present are successful their 40s, due to the fact that they've been waiting for truthful agelong and person children of their own, mightiness beryllium the easiest fix. We'll spot if that happens anytime soon. Obviously, with the elections coming, it whitethorn not. In our remaining moments, and Congressman Gimenez, you got the archetypal word, truthful we'll springiness Congressman Espaillat the past word. So, we'll commencement with you. What is your connection to someone, possibly Congressman Gimenez, that is connected the extracurricular looking in, who mightiness privation to become, who mightiness privation to be- travel to the United States and physique a amended life? What would beryllium your connection to them?
REP. GIMENEZ: My connection is to bash it the close way. There are, you know, thousands of immigrants that are allowed into the United States each azygous year. Go to your- spell to your- you know, successful your country, spell to the- the embassy, the consulate, etc. you know, and motion up to, to immigrate into the United States. Do it the close way, and- and past you volition beryllium welcomed with, with unfastened arms. There's a batch of skills that we request present inactive successful the United States, adjacent though we privation to marque definite that Americans get those jobs, but sometimes you cognize you bash request skills from outside, and by the way, it's not a atrocious happening to get caller ideas, caller perspectives coming into the United States from each astir the world, due to the fact that that's what makes America the top state successful the world. We don't person uniformity of thought, we person diverseness of thought, we person diverseness of talents from galore countries astir the world, and that's what made America great. And that volition proceed to marque America the top state successful the world.
ED O'KEEFE: And Congressman Espaillat?
REP. ESPAILLAT: This nation, arsenic we observe the 250th anniversary, inactive has promise, and I deliberation migration has been a cardinal portion of our quality to determination guardant arsenic a nation. So I inquire those that privation to travel to our federation that this- bring your ideas, bring your innovativeness, bring your talents, bring your energy, the vigor that has displayed itself passim decades and passim our history. There's been nary play successful American past that has not been pushed by- by migration forward, adjacent successful our astir hard times. It is the influx of caller ideas and caller vigor that makes our state different, and of course, this is simply a large experiment, and everybody wants to travel to America. Do it the close way. There are channels done which you tin bash it. We volition proceed to invited radical from each implicit the world. This is simply a federation that inactive has a batch to offer, is inactive comparatively a precise young nation, and 1 that I deliberation has a batch of committedness towards the future. I'm blessed that my parents, my grandparents, who were some mill workers, brought america present to America. What a large promise. What a large nation.
ED O'KEEFE: Congressman Espaillat of New York, Congressman Gimenez of Florida. Thank you some for agreeing to talk with america this vacation weekend. We admit it. And 'Face the Nation' volition beryllium backmost successful 1 minute. Stay with us.
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