Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
I first ran for Congress because I knew that this district wanted a Congressperson who would be accessible to every community, accountable to the people not corporations, and an unapologetic fighter for a working people’s agenda in Congress. I am running for re-election to continue building on the work that communities across IL’s 3rd Congressional District have entrusted me to do over the last 4 years.
That means being a leader on the key issues facing our country. I have led the fight to abolish ICE and dismantle DHS by filing the Melt ICE Act. I am working to hold the Trump Administration accountable for the harm caused by Operation Midway Blitz. I have stood up for working people by fighting to lower our healthcare costs through Medicare for All, to raise worker wages with the Living Wage for All Act, and ensure everyone can retire with dignity through the Pensions for All Act. I have also been an unapologetic advocate for a pro-peace and pro-diplomacy foreign policy by leading the Block the Bombs Act to demand Israel comply with U.S. and international law.
I have delivered for our district by securing $28.4 million in federal funds for infrastructure and community projects, $820 million in grants, and helping return $3.25 million in federal benefits to constituents. I am proud of the work my team and I have done over the last four years, and we look forward to continuing to build on this work.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
There is no question that the rising cost of living is the number one issue facing not just my constituents, but people across the country. Our country was already facing a crisis of unaffordable housing and healthcare. Trump’s policies through his disastrous tariffs and the war with Iran have made matters so much worse by drastically increasing the prices of everyday necessities like groceries and gas. Ultimately, I believe we can only correct the economic challenges we face if we truly champion a holistic working people’s agenda.
We must make healthcare affordable and accessible to everyone by passing universal healthcare through Medicare for all. We must work towards federal policies that uphold that housing is a human right. We have to support families by fighting for universal childcare. We must support students by forgiving student loan debt and advocating for tuition-free public colleges and universities. We must increase the federal minimum wage to $25 per hour to make sure that a minimum wage is a living wage. And we must make sure the wealthy pay their fair share to fund the programs and vital services our communities need.
What is one unique challenge your district faces and how do you plan to address it?
My district has a significant number of Latino communities that have been impacted by the weaponization of the federal government against our immigrant neighbors. My office has received countless immigration and deportation cases over the last two years of this administration. This targeting has created significant strain all across my district, whether it’s families that have been torn apart, businesses that have had to shutter because people are too afraid to leave their homes, or everyday people who have had their constitutional rights violated because they chose to speak up against this authoritarian campaign.
I have been clear from day one of this administration that we must reject Donald Trump’s xenophobic, racist, and unconstitutional anti-immigrant agenda. We must do everything in our power to protect and defend our neighbors, hold this administration accountable using congressional oversight, and advocate for a humane federal immigration policy that embraces immigrants and all that they contribute to our country. I will continue to stand against Trump’s dangerous and authoritarian anti-immigrant policies.
What do you think federal immigration reform should look like?
As the first Latina Congresswoman from the Midwest and a member of Congress who has been part of a mixed-status household, immigration reform is deeply personal to me. The last two years have shown us that Donald Trump’s xenophobic and racist anti-immigrant policies are not a real solution to our immigration issues. We must adopt a comprehensive plan to address immigration that is actually responsive not just to how we treat our undocumented neighbors who have made their lives in this country, but also to addressing the root causes of migration.
ICE and DHS have not made our communities safer, and that is why I believe we must Abolish ICE and dismantle DHS. These institutions have been weaponized against our communities, violated residents’ constitutional rights, and have lost any legitimacy that they had. We must dismantle them and instead build a new Department of Community Safety.
On broader immigration policy, we should start by passing the Dream and Promise Act to provide DACA recipients with a pathway to citizenship. We should shift our foreign policy, especially across Latin America, to ensure that we are not further destabilizing regions and provoking out-migration. And ultimately, we must work towards a humane immigration policy that creates a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented people in the United States.
How should Congress address the rising costs of health care?
This is very straightforward to me; we need universal healthcare via Medicare for All.
What approach would you take on tax policy and what is your top priority?
My approach to tax policy has been consistent across all my roles in public office. I believe that our tax systems should be progressive and demand that the wealthy pay their fair share for the resources and services our communities need to thrive. My priorities include holding corporations and the ultra-wealthy accountable by taxing the rich through my Equal Tax Act.
Is the House currently using its oversight powers in the way it should be? What areas of government need more or less oversight?
I have been clear that Congress needs to use every tool at its disposal to rein in the Trump administration’s dangerous and routine practice of violating our communities' constitutional rights, issuing unconstitutional executive orders, and ignoring court orders when judges have appropriately rejected or restricted their authoritarian efforts. We need more oversight in all aspects of our federal government, and when Democrats take the House, I will be a leader advocating that we use our authority to hold this administration accountable.
What is the most pressing foreign policy issue facing the country and what role should the House play in dealing with it?
I have been an outspoken and vocal champion for a foreign policy that centers peace, diplomacy and the protection of human rights everywhere. Whether it is Gaza, Venezuela, or Cuba, I believe that we must shift our foreign policy from one that relies on military force to one that intentionally makes us a good neighbor and partner in the global community. We will never bomb our way to peace. The trillions we are spending annually to feed endless wars overseas could be better used to meet the needs of our residents here at home.
How do you view AI and the role the government should play in its regulation?
AI poses a serious and potentially existential threat to all of our safety. We are already seeing the way this technology is being used and deployed in ways that are expanding the surveillance state in direct violation of our privacy and constitutional rights. This will only get worse if Congress does not act to regulate AI. As the Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection, I will continue to fight to regulate AI technologies and hold AI companies accountable to protect our privacy and civil liberties.
How would you describe the current state of your party and what changes or new approaches would you like to see your party adopt?
As a leader in both the IL State Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee, I believe that our party can and must do more once we regain power to deliver on the agenda people have elected us to advance. It is not enough to just be against the policies of MAGA and Donald Trump. We must put forward and act to advance a progressive agenda that materially improves conditions for working people. This means taking on hard fights on issues like Medicare for All, raising the federal minimum wage, and comprehensive immigration reform.
I also believe that our party must do more to end the corrupting influence of big money in politics. The last primary saw an unprecedented amount of Super PAC money flow into IL’s federal and local primary contests. That issue is only getting worse across the country. We must be clear that this kind of outsized influence is anti-democratic and must be changed if we want to be a party that is responsive to the people and not corporate interests.