Espaillat and Gimenez discuss immigration and their American stories
A Dominican-born New York Democrat and a Cuban-born Florida Republican put immigrant biography at the center of a July 5 Face the Nation segment, but split on amnesty.
Ed O'Keefe’s interview with Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Carlos Gimenez aired in part on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan on July 5, 2026, after being taped July 2. CBS News framed the conversation around immigration and the lawmakers’ American stories, alongside appearances by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, former CDC chief medical officer Dr. Debra Houry and NCAA President Charlie Baker.
The sharpest point of overlap was personal history. Espaillat, the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House, represents New York’s 13th Congressional District, which includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the northwest Bronx. Gimenez represents Florida’s 28th Congressional District, which includes all of Monroe County and the southwest portion of Miami-Dade County, and he is the only current Cuban-born member of Congress.
Gimenez’s life story runs through Havana, where he was born on January 17, 1954, before immigrating to the United States with his family in 1960 after the Cuban Revolution. He later served as mayor of Miami-Dade County from 2011 to 2020. Espaillat’s office still treats immigration as a daily part of the job, accepting immigration-related casework Monday through Thursday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The sharpest point of disagreement was the scope of relief Congress should offer. Gimenez’s House immigration page says he voted for the American Dream and Promise Act and supported protections for DREAMers, including work authorization and driver’s licenses, while opposing blanket amnesty. That position puts him in the middle of the GOP’s internal argument: support for targeted legal protections on one side, resistance to broad legalization on the other.
Espaillat’s focus on constituent immigration casework and Gimenez’s narrower carve-out for DREAMers showed how the national debate is likely to proceed next. The fight is moving toward whether Congress can keep building limited protections for people already rooted in American communities without reopening a broader clash over amnesty, status, and the terms of belonging.
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