Adriano Espaillat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Adriano Espaillat
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| Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Nanette Barragán |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 13th district |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Charles Rangel |
| Member of the New York State Senate from the 31st district |
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| In office January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Eric Schneiderman |
| Succeeded by | Marisol Alcantara |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 72nd district |
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| In office January 1, 1997 – December 31, 2010 |
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| Preceded by | John Brian Murtaugh |
| Succeeded by | Guillermo Linares |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Adriano de Jesús Espaillat Rodríguez
September 27, 1954 Santiago, Dominican Republic |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Martha Madera
(m. 1979) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Buenaventura Báez (third-great-grandfather) Marcos Antonio Cabral (second-great-grandfather) Mario Fermín Cabral y Báez (great-grandfather) |
| Education | Queens College (BS) |
Adriano de Jesús Espaillat Rodríguez (born September 27, 1954) is a politician from the Dominican Republic and the United States. He is a U.S. representative for New York's 13th district. This means he is one of the people who represent New York in the U.S. Congress.
He made history as the first Dominican American and the first person who was once an undocumented immigrant to serve in Congress. Before joining Congress, he worked in the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly.
Espaillat is a member of the Democratic Party. He ran for Congress against Charles Rangel in 2012 and 2014. He finally won the Democratic nomination in 2016 after Rangel decided to retire.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Adriano Espaillat was born on September 27, 1954, in Santiago, Dominican Republic. His parents were Melba and Ulises Espaillat. His family moved to the United States in 1964. After their tourist visa expired, they became legal permanent residents (Green Card holders) in 1965.
Espaillat grew up in Washington Heights, New York City. He finished Bishop Dubois High School in 1974. He then earned his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in political science from Queens College, City University of New York in 1978.
Personal Life
Adriano Espaillat lives in Inwood, Manhattan, New York. He is a member of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.
He married Martha Madera in 1979. They have two children, and he is also a grandfather. Espaillat is a big fan of the Yankees baseball team. He is also a Catholic.
Earlier Career
Before becoming a politician, Espaillat worked to help people in his community. He was the Manhattan Court Services Coordinator for the New York City Criminal Justice Agency. This group helps people who can't afford lawyers. He also helped solve disagreements as a mediator.
Later, he directed the Washington Heights Victims Services Community Office. This organization offered support to families of crime victims. He was also active on the Manhattan Community Board 12. This board helps local communities. From 1991 to 1993, he served on Governor Mario Cuomo's Dominican-American Advisory Board.
New York State Assembly
Espaillat served in the New York State Assembly from 1997 to 2010. He was first elected in 1996. He beat the person who had held the seat for 16 years, John Brian Murtaugh. In the Assembly, Espaillat led groups focused on small businesses and families.
He worked hard for tenants (people who rent homes), consumers, veterans, and immigrants. He helped pass laws to build and protect affordable housing. He also helped low-income daycare workers get the right to organize and receive health care. He supported measures to improve translation services in hospitals.
After many attacks on taxi drivers in 2000, Espaillat helped pass a law. This law made penalties stronger for crimes against these drivers. It also helped their families get money from the New York State Crime Victims Board.
Espaillat also took legal action against the power company Con Edison. This was after a power outage in 1999 that hurt many small businesses. Con Edison then agreed to invest more money in the area's electricity. They also had to refund customers for costs from the blackout.
New York State Senate
Adriano Espaillat became a member of the New York State Senate in 2011. He served there until 2016.
Elections
Running for State Senate
Espaillat ran for the State Senate in 2010. The previous senator, Eric Schneiderman, was running for a different job. Espaillat won the Democratic primary with more than 50% of the votes. In 2012, he won again, beating Assemblyman Guillermo Linares.
Reelection in 2014
After trying to run for Congress and losing, Espaillat decided to run for his State Senate seat again in 2014. He won against former City Councilman Robert Jackson.
Work in the State Senate
In 2011, Espaillat worked to protect rent regulations. These rules help keep housing affordable for over a million apartments. The new agreement made it harder for landlords to raise rents too much. It also created a new unit to protect tenants.
He also passed laws to stop businesses from selling alcohol to minors. He wrote a law to stop notaries (people who can witness signatures) from tricking immigrants with fake legal services. In 2011, he voted in favor of marriage equality. This law allowed same-sex couples to marry.
State Senate Committee Assignments
Espaillat was part of several important committees:
- Housing, Construction & Community Development (Ranking Member)
- Environmental Conservation
- Higher Education
- Codes
- Rules
- Judiciary
- Finance
- Insurance
U.S. House of Representatives
Adriano Espaillat is currently a U.S. Representative. This means he works in the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C.
Elections
First Attempts in 2012 and 2014
In 2012, Espaillat ran for Congress in New York's 13th district. He was in a tough race against Charles Rangel, who had been in Congress for 42 years. The district had changed to have more Hispanic voters. Rangel won by a very small number of votes. There were also reports that some Spanish-speaking voters had trouble voting.
Espaillat ran against Rangel again in 2014 but lost a second time.
Winning in 2016
In November 2015, Espaillat announced he would run for Congress again. This time, the seat was open because Rangel had decided to retire. Espaillat won the Democratic primary in 2016. He then easily won the general election with 89% of the votes.
When Espaillat started his term on January 3, 2017, he became only the third person to represent this district in 72 years. This shows how long the previous representatives had served.
Time in Congress
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Espaillat is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. He also serves on the Committee on Education and the Workforce. He is part of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC). He leads the CHC's group focused on Transportation, Infrastructure, and Housing.
In 2017, after a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Espaillat and another representative suggested a law. This law would ban Confederate monuments on federal land.
In 2019, he and other lawmakers wrote a letter about Brazil's president, Jair Bolsonaro. They were worried about how Bolsonaro's policies might affect minority groups and activists in Brazil.
In January 2023, Espaillat introduced a resolution. This resolution spoke out against the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. It also called for protecting reproductive rights. In February 2023, he introduced a bill to end the death penalty under federal law.
Since being elected, Espaillat has worked to connect Dominican elected officials in his area. This group is sometimes called "The Squadriano." He is also part of the Vote Blue Coalition. This group helps support Democrats in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Committee Assignments
- Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch (Ranking Member)
- Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
- Committee on the Budget
Caucus Leadership
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Deputy Chair
- Latino-Jewish Caucus, Co-Chair
Caucus Memberships
- Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
- Labor Caucus
- Foster Youth Caucus
- LGBT Equality Caucus
- Black Maternal Health Caucus
- New Americans Caucus
- Expand Social Security Caucus
- Tri-Caucus
- Steel Caucus
- Wine Caucus
- Medicare for All Caucus
- Friends of the Dominican Republic Caucus
- Friends of Ecuador Caucus
Political Positions
Guns
In March 2021, Espaillat and Representative Brad Schneider suggested a law to control privately made firearms. This was part of an effort to reduce gun violence.
Immigration
Espaillat visited an immigration center in Texas. He said the U.S. needs to do better at connecting migrant children with their families. As the first former undocumented immigrant in Congress, Espaillat strongly supports the American Dream and Promise Act. This act aims to help young immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.
Israel
Espaillat believes Israel has the right to defend itself. In 2019, he supported a law against boycotting Israel. In August 2019, he spoke out when Israel denied entry to two U.S. representatives. In 2023, he voted to support Israel after attacks.
Syria
In 2023, Espaillat was among the Democrats who voted to ask President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.
Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023
Espaillat was one of the Democrats who voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.
See Also
In Spanish: Adriano Espaillat para niños
Images for kids
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Espaillat's office on Columbus Avenue.
