Espaillat, Adriano, 1954-

Adriano de Jesús Espaillat Cabral (born September 27, 1954) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served as the U.S. Representative for New York's 13th congressional district since 2017. He is the first Dominican-American member and the first formerly undocumented immigrant to ever serve in Congress.

Born in Santiago, Dominican Republic, he and his family moved to the United States in 1964, settling in Washington Heights, Manhattan. Espaillat graduated from Bishop Dubois High School before earning a B.S. from Queens College. He served as the Manhattan Court Services Coordinator for the New York City Criminal Justice Agency, as Director of the Washington Heights Victims Services Community Office, Director of Project Right Start, and on Governor Mario Cuomo's Dominican-American Advisory Board before being elected to the New York State Assembly in 1996. In the Assembly, Espaillat was a vocal advocate for tenants, consumers, veterans, immigrants and local businesses. He passed laws encouraging the construction and preservation of affordable housing, giving low-income day care workers the right to organize and obtain health care, and sponsored measures to improve hospital translation services.

In 2010, Espaillat was elected to the New York State Senate, serving there through the end of 2016. While in the New York State Senate, he served as the Ranking Member of the Senate Housing, Construction, and Community Development Committee; Chairman of the Senate Puerto Rican/Latino Caucus; and as a member of the Environmental Conservation, Economic Development, Codes, Insurance, and Judiciary committees. After twice falling short in challenging longterm House incumbent Charles Rangel in the Democratic primaries in 2012 and 2014, Espaillat won the Democratic primary to succeed Rangel in 2016. A steadfast champion for working- and middle-class New Yorkers, Espaillat is a staunch advocate of a fair living wage, immediate and effective investments in affordable housing, meaningful criminal justice reform, infrastructure improvements, expanded youth programs, and better educational opportunities. He currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations and as a Senior Whip for the Democratic Caucus.