California woman whose parents were deported to attend President Trump's State of the Union

"I think the first family that I heard about where I recognized the cruelty and the inhumanity of it all was the Gonzalez family. Having Quintino present at the State of the Union is a way to put a face to the cruelty of the Trump administration's deportation policies, which have torn many families apart."

"The mixed-status family was among the first to be impacted by Trump's mass deportation agenda that expanded to detain and deport immigrants living legally and illegally in the country, and in some cases American citizens."

"The Dignity Act would secure the border and provide a seven-year program for legal status without amnesty and mandate restitution payments, background checks and work authorization for people who have been in the U.S. long-term without documentation."

Stephanie Quintino, 28, will attend President Trump's State of the Union address as a guest of U.S. Rep. Mike Levin. Her parents, Gladys and Nelson Gonzalez, were deported to Colombia in February 2025 after decades living in the United States. The Gonzalez family was among the first impacted by Trump's expanded mass deportation agenda targeting immigrants with various legal statuses. Rep. Levin invited Quintino to personify the human cost of these policies, which he characterizes as cruel and inhumane toward immigrants who have contributed to the economy and society. Quintino advocates for the Dignity Act, a bipartisan immigration reform proposal that would secure the border while providing a seven-year legal status program for long-term undocumented residents, including background checks and work authorization.

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