The Congressional Hispanic Caucus swore in its freshmen class of nine new members on Thursday, Jan. 13, increasing the caucus’ membership to 42 — making it its largest caucus in its 50-year history. 

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute hosted its Swearing-In Ceremony and Welcome Reception at The Anthem, in D.C., where Secretary Xavier Becerra administered the oath of office and swore in the nine new Latino members of the 118th Congress. 

New Chair of the CHC, Nanette Barragán, released a statement declaring the caucus has grown both in numbers and power as a result. 

With immigration being at the forefront of headlines heading into the Christmas break and through the new year, the caucus has set itself a high bar that if achieved, would be a monumental achievement. 

"Our members know firsthand what it's like to live in the shadows of a broken immigration system — many of us are children of immigrants, immigrants ourselves or have friends, families and neighbors who have long waited for an opportunity to achieve the American Dream,” said Barragán. 

“There are millions of families who are counting on us to get things done this Congress, and we are ready to lead serious and constructive discussions on border security and a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants,” she added. 

The nine new members are: 

– Rep. Yadira Caraveo (D-CO) from the 8th Congressional District of Colorado and the first Latina to represent the Rocky Mountain State in Congress. 

– Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) of the 8th Congressional District of Texas. 

– Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL) of the 10th Congressional District of Florida and the first Gen-Z and first Afro-Cuban member of Congress. 

– Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) of the 42nd Congressional District of California. The former Mayor of Long Beach is also the first LGBTQ+ immigrant elected to Congress. 

– Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) of the 3rd Congressional District of Washington. The auto shop owner is the first CHC Member from Washington State. 

– Rep. Robert Menendez, Jr. (D-NJ) of the 8th Congressional District of New Jersey, and also the former first Latino commissioner of the New Jersey Port Authority. 

– Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) of the 3rd Congressional District of Illinois who is the first Latina elected to Congress from the Midwest. 

– Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-OR) of the 6th Congressional District of Oregon. The former State Rep. is the first CHC Member from Oregon. 

– Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) of the 2nd Congressional District of New Mexico, and also former City Councilmember. 

The immigration issue has gone through its fair share of legal battles in just the last year, let alone two or three years ago, and the caucus is ready to use their power to be in on the discussion of any kind of immigration reform. 

“The Congressional Hispanic Caucus, including our CHC Senators, must not be excluded from future discussions on managing the migration challenges at the southern border and creating new immigration legal pathways,” said Barragán.

Any resolution for a hot topic issue such as immigration reform can only occur if both parties are able to work together in unity, as they are expected to and should – but clearly cannot – and the caucus is prepared to work with both the GOP and Democrats to fix immigration reform. 

“We are ready to work with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate to draft and negotiate legislative proposals on immigration reform. We welcome anyone willing to work with us to get something done,” she continued

The CHCI also introduced U.S. representative for New York's 13th congressional district, Adriana Espaillat, as the institute's new Chairman. Espaillat is the first Dominican-American and first formerly-undocumented immigrant to ever serve in U.S. Congress. 

“I'll be forever grateful to Chair an organization that helps train our next generation of Latino leaders. As Chair of the @HispanicCaucus, I will work with CHCI’s new Chair, @RepEspaillat, to uplift Latino voices & communities,” Barragán tweeted.