Congressman Suozzi Invites Local DREAMER to State of the Union Address

LongIsland.com

Hosted News Conference Monday with Nelson Melgar of Glen Cove.

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Nelson Melgar of Glen Cove.

Photo by: Office of Congressman Tom Suozzi

Glen Cove, NY - January 29, 2017 - Today, Congressman Tom Suozzi (D – Long Island, Queens) announced that Nelson Melgar, 27, a DACA-enrollee at risk of being deported, will be his guest at this year’s State of the Union Address. Melgar came to Glen Cove from Honduras when he was 13-years-old.
 
Suozzi held a news conference with Melgar on Monday, January 29, at 10:00am in front of Hardy Quick Mart at 244 Glen Cove Avenue. Melgar, who worked 18 hours per day to put himself through college, worked the night shift at this location.
 
“Nelson was raised in Honduras in extreme poverty. He worked long hours on coffee farms from when he was a little boy, which caused him to sleep while he was in school. He came to Glen Cove when he was 13 years old. He attended grade school and graduated with honors from Glen Cove High School. He attended Nassau Community College and graduated in four years with a 3.6 GPA. He had to work while in college to pay his tuition. Then he had to earn enough money to go to Hunter College, working twenty hours a day, six days a week until he had enough money to pay his tuition. He then graduated from Hunter College with a 3.6 GPA,” said Congressman Suozzi.
 
He added, “After growing up here in Glen Cove, working hard, attaining excellent grades and becoming an integral part of the fabric of this community, Nelson is being threatened with deportation. Nelson’s story is a real-life story. We must fight for Nelson and for other DREAMers like him.”