Dan Goldman is bringing a Lutheran pastor to the State of the Union

Rep. Dan Goldman’s guest at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday will be immigration activist Father Fabian Arias, Goldman’s office told City & State. Goldman and Arias have collaborated on a pop-up emergency legal clinic in Goldman’s district office for immigrants detained by ICE, including many at 26 Federal Plaza across the street. 

Other members of the New York delegation are also partaking in the annual ritual of using their extra tickets to make a political statement. U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer is bringing Eva Wood, a mom from Rochester whose medical bills have skyrocketed with the expiration of an Affordable Care Act tax credit, and Ben Pearson, a small business owner hit hard by Trump’s tariffs. Rep. Grace Meng is bringing New York City Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Helen Arteaga to show the city’s opposition to Medicaid cuts. Rep. John Mannion will bring the new Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens. Rep. Joe Morelle is bringing Latino community advocate Angelica Perez-Delgado, and Rep. Claudia Tenney is bringing Wayne County Sheriff Robert Milby.

The address, Trump’s second in his second term, comes as Democrats are trying to retake majorities in the House and Senate, including through a redistricting battle in New York.