Transcript: Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Carlos Gimenez on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," July 5, 2026

U.S. Representatives Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) and Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) shared poignant personal reflections on their families' immigration journeys to the United States during an appearance on CBS News' "Face the Nation." Both lawmakers, who represent constituencies with significant immigrant populations, detailed their childhood experiences adapting to a new country.

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There were about 21 people in that house, and I remember vividly my first day going to school. The day before, I went to, you know, they took me to a parochial school, and, and then the nuns saying that tomorrow was my first day of school, that was my first word in English. Until then, I only spoke Spanish, and so that, I vividly remember, and then the early days there, it's like- it's like a blur, obviously, you know, but- but, yeah, it was, it was completely different than my experiences had been in Cuba.

Congressman Gimenez, who was nearly seven years old when his family fled Cuba due to the Castro regime, vividly recalled the crowded conditions upon arrival in Florida, where about 21 relatives shared a single house. He particularly remembered his first day of school, marking the moment he began learning English, having previously only spoken Spanish. "It was completely different than my experiences had been in Cuba," he stated.

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Of course. The weather was cold, obviously. I remember the cold weather. We lived with our grandparents, who had a four-and-a-half bedroom- bedroom apartment in Washington Heights, and we got there in December, and of course, we went to school. Remember sitting in the back of the classroom, and for a year or more, not knowing really a word of English, but surely and slowly we- we acclimated, and here we are.

Congressman Espaillat, who arrived in the U.S. from the Dominican Republic at around age nine, also spoke of the challenges of acclimating. He described living with his grandparents in a small Washington Heights apartment and the initial difficulty of understanding English in school. "Surely and slowly we- we acclimated, and here we are," he said, reflecting on his journey.

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Yeah, my grandmother was the first one to become a U.S. citizen, and she was so proud of it. And I remembered that she spoke about it, about how great this nation is, and how it gave us a new opportunity of moving forward, but she was really proud of becoming an American citizen, and I think it translated then back down to all of us.

When asked about their parents' motivations for becoming Americans, both congressmen emphasized the pursuit of freedom and opportunity. Espaillat shared that his grandmother, the first in their family to become a U.S. citizen, was immensely proud and spoke of the nation offering a chance for advancement. Gimenez, though younger at the time, understood later that his parents sought freedom for themselves and their children, a sentiment that resonated deeply as he grew up.

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Well, I mean, you know, look I was, I was seven years old. I mean, my dad and mom weren't talking geo- you know, politics back then, but then later on, obviously, as I was growing up, I knew exactly why we came to the United States. We came to the United States, my parents were seeking freedom, not only for themselves, but for us, his children, my