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Tribune News Service
Tribune News Service
National
Alex Gangitano

State of the Union Guest List

WASHINGTON _ As President Donald Trump delivers his first State of the Union on Tuesday, a few issues will stand out in the crowd.

Members of Congress each get one guest ticket for the address. While some use them for family or friends, others bring a guest who puts a face to an issue they're pushing.

Many of this year's invitees have a stake in the current stalemate over what to do with young people brought illegally to the U.S. as children, also known as "Dreamers."

Victims of sexual assault and harassment will also be represented, along with businesspeople touting the benefits of the president's economic policies and the tax overhaul bill he signed into law.

Here's a look at who's invited:

IMMIGRATION

Cindy Garcia, the wife of Jorge Garcia, who was deported to Mexico earlier this month after living in the U.S. for 30 years. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich.

Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian-born immigrant who discovered Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and is played by Will Smith in the movie "Concussion." Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif.

Aldo Solano, a Dreamer. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., who is boycotting the speech.

Viviana Andazola Marquez, whose father, Melecio Andazola Morales, was detained by ICE after going in for a scheduled appointment to get his green card. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo.

Hugo Alexander Acosta Mazariego, a Dreamer. Rep. Nita M. Lowey, D-N.Y.

Nicolle Uria, a Dreamer. Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, D-Va. Leonardo Reyes, a Dreamer. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.

Jung Bin Cho, a Dreamer. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif.

Nery Martinez, a Temporary Protected Status recipient. Rep. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.

Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.

Leo Salinas Chacon, a Dreamer. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky.

Diego de la Vega, a Dreamer and an intern in the district office of Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y.

Edenilson Granados, a Temporary Protected Status recipient. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass.

Denea Joseph, an UndocuBlack Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.

Adrian Escarate, a Dreamer. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla.

Ana Campa Castillo, a Dreamer. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Ill.

SEXUAL ASSAULT AND HARASSMENT

Chessy Prout, a high school student who survived sexual assault. Rep. Ann McLane Kuster, D-N.H.

Patricia Teffenhart, executive director of the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.

Travis Moore, one of the leading advocates for survivors of sexual harassment and violence in Congress. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif.

Laura Germino, co-founder of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a worker-based human rights organization focused on supporting farm workers. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla.

Business and tax overhaul Tommy Fisher, president and CEO of Fisher Industries. Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.

Loong Yong, an immigrant who runs a company in Oak Ridge. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn.

Greg "Ryno" Rynearson, owner of Cops & Doughnuts Clare City Bakery. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich.

PUERTO RICO RELIEF

Emmanuel Ortiz-Nazario, a 30-year-old from Puerto Rico who relocated with his wife and two children to Florida after Hurricane Maria. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla.

Claudia Sofia Baez Sola, who was sent to live with her relatives in Orlando after Maria. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla.

Brenda Irizarry, who collected supplies for Puerto Rico recovery. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla.

Law enforcement Sarah Pratt, daughter of a New York police officer killed in the line of duty. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.

Taylor Nielsen, a police officer who arrived at a crime scene to find two people murdered and has struggled with mental health challenges since then. Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind.

Donato Panico, a former deli owner who formed a nonprofit to serve sandwiches to police and firefighters. Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y.

HEALTH AND DRUGS

McKenzie Harrington-Bacote, program administrator for the Office of School Wellness in the Laconia School District. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.

Dani Hall, who uses medical marijuana for a birth defect that affects her lower spine. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla.

Caroline Johnson, wife of a firefighter who died of colorectal cancer. Sen. Christopher S. Murphy, D-Conn.

Shelly Elkington, who lost a daughter to opioid addiction. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Tim Moore, speaker of the North Carolina State House. Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, R-N.C.

Mike Nerheim, Lake County state's attorney. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill.

Kwame Raoul, an Illinois state senator. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill.

Bob Kirk, the longest-serving elected official in Tennessee. Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tenn.

Jennifer Storm, commonwealth victim advocate. Rep. Dwight Evans, D-Pa.

MILITARY

Ricky Taylor, U.S. Army veteran and self-declared "Deplorable Vet" who offered to take the place of Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., after she announced she was boycotting the address. Rep. Sean P. Duffy, R-Wis.

Lynda Bengtsson-Davis, a transgender Marine Corps veteran. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif.

LABOR

Mike Jackson, executive secretary-treasurer of the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich.

OTHER

Stephen Willeford, who exchanged gunfire with the Sutherland Springs shooter in November. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas.

Bill Nye, "the Science Guy." Rep. Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla.

Jayson Werth, Washington Nationals baseball player who farms in Illinois. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill.

Randy Bryce, a Democrat running against Speaker Paul D. Ryan in Wisconsin. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisc.

Christine Levinson, the wife of Bob Levinson, who has been missing in Iran for nearly 11 years. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla.

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