Obama meets with Las Vegas woman to talk immigration

By Amber Phillips

Published Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 | 10:14 a.m.

Updated Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 | 2:22 p.m.

WASHINGTON — It’s not every day the president of the United States asks about your deadline for law school, then tells you you’ll be a great lawyer.

That’s what happened to 25-year-old Las Vegas resident Blanca Gamez, who was invited to the White House on Tuesday with other DREAMers to share her immigration story with President Barack Obama.

“I can’t believe this really just happened,” Gamez said in a phone interview during her whirlwind day in Washington, D.C.

Gamez, whose parents brought her the the U.S. from Mexico illegally when she was 7 months old, is able to hold a job after Obama announced a 2012 program to let many young immigrants in the country illegally avoid deportation, work and go to school.

She said Obama invited her and her fellow DREAMers into the Oval Office and, sipping tea, asked them to share their stories.

In November, Obama announced in Las Vegas he would expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to many immigrants’ parents — up to 5 million more people.

Gamez’s mother, who overstayed her work permit, would be eligible for the program.

But congressional Republicans are trying to roll back both programs in a high-profile debate over funding the Department of Homeland Security. Nevada’s House Republicans are straddling the line on what to defund, and Nevada’s Republican senator, Dean Heller, has twice voted this week to keep the programs intact, saying the fight is not a constructive use of Congress’ time.

In the midst of the uncertainty, Gamez said she urged the president and immigration advocacy

groups to develop a clearer messaging strategy to ensure Nevada’s qualified undocumented immigrants — 7.6 percent of the population and the highest in the nation — apply for his programs.

“In Nevada, we’re hearing the media is telling people one thing, there’s organizations saying another,” she said. “There’s a bunch of mixed messages, and people are just confused.”

Gamez is a co-founder of DREAM Big Vegas, an organization that educates the community on the importance of supporting undocumented youth in obtaining equal opportunities for education. She earned an English and political science degree from UNLV.

This is her second trip to Washington in as many weeks — she was Sen. Harry Reid’s guest at the State of the Union on Jan. 20.