Rep. Mike Levin is turning a deeply local immigration story into prime-time political theater, bringing Stephanie Quintino, the daughter of a Laguna Niguel couple deported last year, as his guest to President Trump’s State of the Union address.
Levin said in a press release, reported by FOX 5 San Diego, that he wants Quintino’s presence to underscore the human cost of recent immigration enforcement actions in Southern California. The release identifies her as the daughter of Gladys and Nelson Gonzalez, longtime Laguna Niguel residents who were removed after decades in the United States.
The Gonzalezes were detained during a routine ICE check‑in on Feb. 21, 2025, then held for weeks and ultimately deported to Colombia, according to reporting by the Los Angeles Times. Their daughters say the couple had no criminal records and were shuttled between facilities before their removal, details reported by ABC7 Los Angeles.
“What happened to my parents is happening to millions of undocumented immigrants across the country,” Quintino said in Levin’s announcement, describing them as hard‑working and law‑abiding, according to the release reported by FOX 5 San Diego.
Surge In San Diego Arrests Adds Context
Quintino’s invitation comes against a backdrop of sharply rising immigration enforcement in the region. An analysis cited by KPBS found that administrative immigration arrests in the San Diego area jumped roughly 1,500% between May and October 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier, a spike that has alarmed advocates and added fuel to an already heated political debate.
Levin Pushes Back On Local ICE Tactics
Levin has spent the past year publicly challenging how that enforcement is being carried out. In a Feb. 12 statement, he criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s media tour at the Otay Mesa detention facility and called for real solutions, according to his office’s release. He also spotlighted the Gonzalez case on the House floor last May while voicing opposition to what he described as senseless deportation, per his congressional press releases.
Legal Notes
ICE has said the couple had a final order of removal, and court records as well as agency notes indicate the family’s immigration appeals were exhausted before the deportation, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. Advocates argue the case highlights broader concerns about arrests that occur during courthouse check‑ins and other civil procedures, and they are pushing for clearer, more transparent rules.
Levin has framed his decision to bring Quintino to the State of the Union as an effort to put those questions directly in front of the president and the rest of the country. For one San Diego‑area family, a quiet ordeal with immigration authorities is about to be retold on a very public national stage, at a moment when immigration policy is expected to be front and center.
