Dems host alleged illegal aliens as guests at State of Union, DHS says

Many Democratic lawmakers are hosting State of the Union guests who have come under scrutiny from the Department of Homeland Security, including suspected illegal immigrants, DREAMers and citizens arrested for allegedly obstructing federal immigration enforcement.

A Fox News reporter obtained the list while briefing the agency on a tweet posted early Tuesday that said some Democrats were “planning to bring illegal aliens to the State of the Union as guests.”

“Once again, they are putting illegal aliens above the safety of American citizens. Yesterday alone, our officers arrested pedophiles, rapists, and violent criminals in our communities. President Trump and Secretary Noem have made it abundantly clear: if you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will find you, we will arrest you, and you will never come back,” the agency tweeted.

A Fox News Digital review of the list found guests from diverse backgrounds and circumstances.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., reportedly hosted Aliya Rahman, who was detained during an operation targeting Ecuadorian national Jonathan Chachipanta-Pualacin on Jan. 13.

“ICE executed a warrant and final restraining order to arrest an illegal alien in the Park Avenue area of ​​Minneapolis. ICE officers apprehended four illegal aliens,” a DHS spokesperson said.

“While officers were performing their law enforcement duties, a significant crowd surrounded them and began obstructing law enforcement operations, a federal crime. An agitator ignored multiple orders from an officer to move his vehicle away from the scene and was arrested for obstruction,” the spokesperson said. he added.

DHS also disputed claims by outlets such as CBC that reported Rahman was denied medical care after he was removed from his vehicle and taken into custody.

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Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, arrives for a town hall event in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. (Angelina Katsanis/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Another of Omar’s guests, Mary Granlund, is the president of the local school board who has taken action since the detention of a five-year-old boy at Columbia Heights School, according to a statement from Omar’s office.

Omar’s office said Granlund worked with a group of faculty members who “conducted daily patrols, worked to connect detained children and families with legal aid, and coordinated food distribution to families afraid to leave their homes.”

A DHS spokesperson said ICE does not enter schools and instead targets child predators to protect those same children.

Representative Jesus Garcia’s guest is Marimar Martinez, who he claims is a member of DHS. an “ambush” The number of federal officers and individuals the agency designated as “domestic terrorists” in October.

Martinez, who was reportedly armed and “had a history of divulging personal information to federal agents,” “received defensive fire” from CBP and was later taken into custody by the FBI after being hospitalized.

When asked about the criticism, Garcia told Fox News Digital: “I invited Marmar Martinez to be my guest on the State of the Union because his own government almost killed him and now they’re covering it up by smearing him and not holding Charles Exum and other agents accountable.”

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Senator Richard Durbin, left, Representative Jesus Garcia, right (Reuters)

“This is their playbook,” the Chicago lawmaker added. “I am proud to have Marimar as my guest; her bravery stands in stark contrast to the cowardice and brutality of DHS and the rest of this lawless Administration.”

In an earlier statement, Garcia said a Border Patrol agent “brutally shot Marimar and bragged about it, and the Trump administration falsely labeled him a ‘domestic terrorist.'”

Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., the pioneer of the DREAM Act, invited Tereza Lee, pianist and daughter of Korean immigrants. Lee was the inspiration behind legislation Durbin said he has introduced in every Congress since 2001. The latest version was introduced in 2025 and was co-sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

In a statement Monday, Durbin announced Lee’s invitation and praised Lee’s “courage in sharing his story,” adding that President Donald Trump’s “hostility toward immigrants is on full display in his second term.”

DHS stated that the DREAM Act “will allow individuals without legal status who were brought to the United States as children and who meet certain educational, military service, or employment requirements to become lawful permanent residents.”

Another Illinois lawmaker, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, is inviting the daughter of a man detained by DHS during the height of Operation Midway Blitz.

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U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) answers questions about his recent Congressional delegation trip to the Indo-Pacific region on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on August 10, 2022. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo)

“Donald Trump may try to rewrite his record tonight, but communities across America are living with the consequences of militarized immigration operations that terrorize families and leave Americans for dead,” Krishnamoorthi said, explaining that he had invited Jamie, a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign student, to join him. he said.

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., is inviting Marcelo Gomes da Silva, who DHS said was detained in May 2024 while driving his father’s car, who was wanted by authorities.

Marcelo’s student visa had expired, and Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News: “the facts [of his case] “It hasn’t changed.”

“[He] He is currently an illegal alien and is subject to deportation proceedings. “The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense in our immigration system and will continue to fight to arrest, detain, and deport aliens who have no right to be in this country.”

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (DY) is hosting a Venezuelan immigrant whose son was detained during a May 2025 immigration court hearing and is currently being held in Pennsylvania.

“Dylan Josue Lopez Contreras is an illegal alien from Venezuela who entered the United States illegally more than a year ago. He was encountered at the border and released into the country under the Biden administration,” a DHS spokesperson countered.

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“On May 21, 2025, Contreras was arrested and subject to expedited deportation proceedings. Most aliens who entered the United States illegally in the past two years are subject to expedited deportation proceedings. [Joe] “Biden ignored this legal reality and chose to release millions of illegal aliens, including violent criminals, into the country with a notice to appear before an immigration judge.”

“ICE is now following the law and expeditiously removing these illegal aliens, as it always should.”

Rep. Mike Levin of California is hosting Stephanie Quintino, whose parents, Gladys and Nelson Gonzalez, were deported to Colombia, according to the agency.

Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., hosts Carolina Dias-Goncalves, a DREAMer at the University of Utah who was temporarily held in an ICE detention facility following a traffic stop in Colorado.

With his choice of guests, Rep. Robert Menendez Jr., D-N.J., honors Colombian asylum seeker Adriana Quiroz Zapata, who is said to be fleeing her violent and “politically connected” former partner.

Zapata’s niece, Monica Van Housen, who worked to prevent Zapata’s deportation, will also join Menendez in the parliament.

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“Adriana, Monica and their family deserve much better from America than what Donald Trump, Kristi Noem and ICE have subjected them to,” Menendez said. New Jersey Globe.

Fox News Digital has reached out to each member DHS mentioned for comment.

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