Hillary Clinton Hires DREAMer Lorella Praeli to Serve as Latino Outreach Director
In another show of support for the Latino community and to emphasize intent to bring about immigration reform, Hillary Clinton's campaign has hired Lorella Praeli as the campaign's Latino outreach coordinator.
Praeli is a DREAMer and a Latino youth activist who has been championing immigration reform as well as the rights of undocumented immigrants. The 27-year-old has been working as the Advocacy and Political Director for United We Dream, the nation's largest immigrant youth groups, but now she will apply her experience and knowledge to help Clinton win in 2016, according to NBC News.
The 26-year-old will join the Clinton campaign as Latino Outreach Director, handling the campaign's communication with Latino communities as well as informing the press on the campaign's stance on Latino issues, including immigration.
The addition of Praeli into the Clinton campaign indicates the presidential candidate is serious about immigration reform and the Latino vote. Praeli is a well-known activist who can help lend even more credibility to the Clinton campaign among Latinos.
"We are thrilled to have Lorella Praeli, a DREAMer, join our team because of her courage and perspective in the fight for Latino families across the country," said Amanda Renteria, Hillary for America's National Political Director.
"Bringing Lorella into our campaign is the next step in making sure families aren't living in fear of deportation, all students have the chance to go to college, and that any comprehensive immigration reform ensures full and equal citizenship."
Praeli was born in Peru and emigrated to the U.S. when she was 10, settling in Connecticut. She graduated from Quinnipiac University summa cum laude and revealed she was undocumented, a fact she did not know about until her senior year of high school. She earned her green card in 2012 through the DREAM Act but her younger sister and mother remain undocumented.
According to Vox, Praeli's addition also shows Clinton is more committed on immigration reform and pushes her Republican opponents to take a stronger stance on reform. The Republican hopefuls and candidates so far have not provided strong support for any form of immigration reform.
"Lorella is the embodiment of the United We Dream philosophy -- helping undocumented youth move from a place of isolation to personal empowerment and collective action and providing the training and experience needed to lead," said Cristina Jimenez, Managing Director of United We Dream in a statement.
She recounted how Praelli joined the UWD through the Connecticut affiliate and she "quickly became a master strategist, able to see connections and potential victories where others only saw frustration."
"Lorella is a United We Dream success story and we will be forever grateful for the impact she has had on our lives and the communities we serve," Jimenez added.
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