FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 27, 2016
Contact: Ender Ho, (714) 642-2120, info@bao2016.com
Lyo Figueroa, President of the Orange County Hispanic Bar Association, Endorses Bao Nguyen for Congress
Anaheim, CA – After a strong finish in California’s primary election on June 7th, Bao Nguyen has picked up steam, gaining a coveted endorsement from Lyo Figueroa, President of the Orange County Hispanic Bar Association* (OCHBA). Figueroa joins a long list of other prominent Latinos in law in their support for Mayor Nguyen’s bid for Congress, including Sergio C. Garcia, California’s first undocumented immigrant lawyer, Eric Dominguez, a leading immigration lawyer and President-Elect of the OCHBA,* and past President of the OCHBA Diana Lopez.
Figueroa offered the following praise for Bao:
Attorney Lyo Figueroa
Figueroa offered the following endorsement:
Mayor Bao is a true friend to the Latino community. Bao knows our community like nobody else and he’s the only immigrant in this race. He has been on the ground organizing and protesting with us for fairer wages and against deportations. During his time on the school board, he empowered our children by implementing groundbreaking bilingual programs in Spanish and Vietnamese. In Congress, he will be our champion for comprehensive and compassionate immigration reform, without undue obstacles like having to pay a fine.
Bao Nguyen, who was brought to the United States as a baby when his parents escaped Vietnam, had the following response:
I am humbled and grateful for Lyo’s support. Latinos contribute so much to our country. They are our lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, artists, social workers, and public servants. We need policies in Washington that empower Latinos instead of tearing families apart. In Congress, I will fight for immigration policies that ensure families stay together, and give Latinos the tools they need to succeed.
Nguyen also picked up new endorsements from former Presidents of the OCHBA* Jose Gonzalez and Mayte Santacruz. Gonzalez expressed strong support for Mayor Nguyen:
As advocates for the Latino community, we know that just because you have a Hispanic surname doesn’t mean you’re always working in the best interest of the Latino community. We know Bao, who has always stood firm with us on immigration, education, and fairer wages.
Mayte Santacruz voiced her support for Bao as well:
As an immigrant himself, Bao truly understands the many challenges that Hispanic immigrant families have to overcome on a daily basis. He is one of us, and I am proud to endorse him.
After serving as a local community organizer, and then on Garden Grove’s school board, Bao Nguyen was elected Mayor of Garden Grove in 2014. As Mayor, he has supported immigration reform, signing the amicus brief on United States v. Texas in support of DACA and DAPA. Upon his swearing-in, he became the first directly-elected Vietnamese American Democratic Mayor in the United States.
For more information, please visit http://www.bao2016.com.
*For identification purposes only
“We need policies in Washington that empower Latinos instead of tearing families apart.” I definitely agree with this statement, it seems that both sides of politics these days are set on dividing communities. The US needs strong leadership and it seems like there’s currently a shortage of that!