NEWS: Senator Blunt Rochester Announces Guest for State of the Union

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) announced today that she will bring Maria Mesias-Tatnall, director of outreach and immigration assistance at the Delaware Department of Justice, to the State of the Union Address. Senator Blunt Rochester's invitation of Mesias-Tatnall recognizes the collaboration between Delaware's federal and state officials to defend Delawareans' rights amid the Trump administration's immigration enforcement actions.

"I am proud that Maria Mesias-Tatnall will be joining me at the State of the Union," said Senator Blunt Rochester. "Over the last year, the Trump administration has violated court orders, disregarded the rule of law, and trampled on immigrants' basic constitutional rights. Despite that, advocates like Maria have stood up for those the administration wishes to silence. Our state is grateful for her public service and bravery."

As a liaison between Delawareans and federal immigration authorities, Mesias-Tatnall's office has helped Delawareans access critical information and ensure that immigrants are aware of their rights. On February 7, Mesias-Tatnall participated in Senator Blunt Rochester's roundtable discussion with leaders and members of Delaware's Latino and Haitian communities, during which participants shared powerful testimony about what they are seeing on the ground across the state.

Mesias-Tatnall has displayed incredible dedication and sacrifice in the line of duty. Last year, a Delawarean was arrested at home in front of her children. Though agents did not confirm her immigration status at the time of the arrest, she was lawfully in the United States under a U Visa as a survivor of domestic violence. Years prior, she assisted law enforcement in prosecuting and deporting her ex-husband. Had she been deported herself, she would have been sent back to her abuser.

After learning of her arrest, the Delawarean's legal representatives discovered that she was being held at a detention facility in Louisiana and negotiated her release. However, ICE planned to drop her at a local airport with no documentation, phone, money, or way to get back home. Mesias-Tatnall spung into action and made her way to Louisiana within hours. Maria ultimately met the Delawarean at a local hotel in the middle of night. The Delawarean was wearing the same clothes she was arrested in a month before, so Mesias-Tatnall personally took her shopping before returning her home to her family.

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Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.