[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 74 (Monday, May 6, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2631-S2632]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING GENIE ZAVALETA

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, in 1958, recently married Genie Zavaleta 
went on assignment with the Migrant Ministry with her husband Hector. 
They traveled the country to support Mexican migrant workers. Genie was 
a child of the Great Depression, and she knew when people needed help. 
What was supposed to be a 1-year stint became a lifetime of helping 
people in need.
  Last month, Genie passed away at the age of 92. She was known as the 
grandmother of the Dreamers. She was a longtime champion and mentor to 
undocumented youth in Arizona and a fierce advocate for the Dream Act. 
Genie also was my ally in defending the Dreamers.
  In 1965, Genie and Hector moved to Arizona permanently with their two 
sons, Dan and David. Arizona was a transforming State, and the influx 
of migrant workers attracted Genie. She became the first director of 
education at Planned Parenthood of Phoenix, teaching classes on poverty 
and across the county. She taught classes at Phoenix College and 
Arizona State University too. She worked with the

[[Page S2632]]

Maricopa County Health Department for 15 years until her retirement in 
1989.
  Genie's retirement was not close to the end of her story. She moved 
into full-time advocacy for immigrants. For more than a decade, my 
staff and I worked with her on behalf of Dreamers. She saved countless 
Dreamers from being deported. Genie had my office on speed dial. She 
frequently alerted us to Dreamers at the risk of deportation. She 
shared stories of Dreamers that I told on the Senate floor.
  In 2011, I organized the Dream Sabbath, a gathering of faith 
communities around the country to put a human face on the plight of 
undocumented students. An event about the Dream Act would never be 
complete without Genie's participation, so of course, she helped 
organize Arizona's Dream Sabbath.
  Genie did not seek fanfare. She quietly became one of Arizona's most 
influential immigration activists. She did not want fame. It was about 
the Dreamers.
  On the lawn of her home in Arizona, there once were signs covering 
the whole area for the causes she supported. Today, the house is quiet, 
and the lawn is empty except one sign, a stars-and-stripes one with 
``In our America, all people are equal'' at the top. We will keep 
fighting on Genie's behalf until the Dream Act is the law of the land.
  Genie Zavaleta is survived by her husband Hector, her sons Dan and 
David, and their wives Nori and Linda. On behalf of the hundreds of 
people she helped, Loretta and I send our sincere condolences.
  (At the request of Mr. Thune, the following statement was ordered to 
be printed in the Record.)

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