Dear Mr. President,
I respectfully request a meeting with you to discuss how we can achieve our shared goals on immigration and border security. Fernando Mejia, a well-known and beloved bagel shop manager in my district, was taken into custody by ICE this week. His arrest has devastated the Port Washington community on Long Island, where he has lived and worked for over 20 years.
I believe his case reflects exactly the kind of situation you addressed in your recent remarks.
I listened closely to your comments on immigrant farmworkers and hospitality workers. You rightly acknowledged that while some individuals may lack proper documentation, many have spent years contributing to our economy and society. You said deporting those who have “proven themselves to be very good people” is not the answer, and that we must apply “a lot of common sense.” I agree.
Since returning to Congress, I’ve met with dozens of Republicans and Democrats to find common ground on immigration. There is growing bipartisan recognition that you’ve made significant progress in securing the border.
Now is the time to codify those gains into law—ensuring they’re permanent and protected from future executive reversals. But we must go further.
Let’s work together on a bipartisan agreement that: 1) Permanently secures the border, 2) Fixes the broken asylum system, and 3) Strengthens our economy by legalizing Dreamers, TPS recipients, and essential workers—including those in agriculture, healthcare, and
hospitality—who have lived and contributed here for more than a decade.
Mr. President, any reasonable person supports your goal of removing violent criminals from our streets.
But we also know that neither you nor the American people want innocent, hardworking families caught in the crossfire. Yet that’s what is happening in communities like mine. Together, we can design a system that restores order while eliminating fear. A new system that distinguishes clearly between public safety threats and longtime residents like Fernando Mejia, who have strengthened our communities.
You have acknowledged that huge swaths of our economy depend on immigrant labor. Deporting law-abiding, long-standing community members not only tears families apart, but it also risks real harm to industries vital to our nation’s success.
While Washington remains stuck in partisan gridlock, there is a real appetite for a solution. You are uniquely positioned to help negotiate a bipartisan agreement to secure the border fix the asylum process, grow our economy, and treat people with dignity.
Let’s meet this moment the American way: with strength, common sense, and compromise. I look forward to meeting with you soon and working together to assemble a strong bipartisan coalition.
Sincerely,
Tom Suozzi
Member of Congress
This was a letter by U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi to President Donald Trump
