Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic, and moved to the United States when he was ten years old. There, he grew up in Washington Heights, New York City, which is included in New York’s 13th congressional district, which he serves in the House of Representatives.
Before serving in any office, Congressman Espaillat was the “Manhattan Court Services Coordinator for the NYC Criminal Justice Agency, a non-profit organization that provides indigent legal services and works to reduce unnecessary pretrial detention and post-sentence incarceration costs. He later worked as Director of the Washington Heights Victims Services Community Office, an organization offering counseling and other services to families of victims of homicides and other crimes, and as the Director of Project Right Start, a national initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to combat substance abuse by educating the parents of pre-school children.”
He first served in the New York Assembly form 1997 to 2010. There, a vocal advocate for tenants, consumers, veterans, immigrants, and local businesses.
In 2010, Espaillat ran for New York State Senate, where he served until 2016. There, he represented the neighborhoods of Marble Hill, Inwood, Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights, West Harlem, the Upper West Side, Hell’s Kitchen, Clinton, and Chelsea.
Congressman Espaillat is the third person in 72 years to represent NY-13. He was first elected to the seat in 2016 and is currently finishing his second term. “During the 115th Congress, Rep. Espaillat was among the top three Freshmen members to introduce and pass legislation.”
“A steadfast champion for working- and middle-class New Yorkers, Congressman Espaillat is a staunch advocate of a fair living wage, immediate and effective investments in affordable housing, meaningful criminal justice reform, infrastructure improvements, expanded youth programs, and better educational opportunities.”
Today, February 6th, Rep Espaillat hosted the inaugural Dominicans on the Hill. He invited Dominican-Americans from around the US to attend a one-day event with workshops on issues ranging from immigration, education and the workforce, the U.S. economy and trade. People visited from Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and the DMV, among other areas of the country.
To kick the celebration of Dominicans in the US off, Latino Victory hosted an event in honor of Dominicans in the Hill. During the event, Congressman Espaillat recognized other four Dominican-Americans for their work:
- Dr. Rafael Lantigua
- Cónsul General of the Dominican Republican in New York Carlos Castillo
- Boston City Councilmember Julia Mejia
- Passaic Police Chief Luis Guzman