The Honorable Mike Johnson
Speaker
United States House of Representatives

Dear Speaker Johnson: 

On behalf of the undersigned Latino civil rights, environmental justice and advocacy organizations, we urge you to seat Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva immediately. The people of Arizona are counting on you to uphold your duties and responsibilities as Speaker of the House and ensure the 7th Congressional District is rightfully represented in the United States Congress. 

On September 23, Congresswoman-elect Grijalva won the special election to represent Arizona’s 7th Congressional District with a decisive victory, earning 68 percent of the vote. Since then, for over two weeks, approximately 800,000 Arizonans in the 7th District are without representation in their elected government. Blocking her swearing-in means silencing a district that is nearly half Latino and is home to tribal nations, depriving them of a voice in Congress and potentially, from access to vital constituent services and federal programs. 

By withholding her oath, you are not only denying Southern Arizona’s residents their right to full representation and access to essential constituent services, but you are also preventing one more member in Congress from fighting for public health, environmental justice, and affordable costs for American families. The election results are officially certified, and Arizona’s families are facing increasing daily challenges. They deserve to have their elected representative in office to ensure they advocate for their most pressing needs. 

Thousands of Latino and immigrant families across the country are facing unprecedented challenges that warrant equal representation in the U.S. Congress. It’s important to understand that Congresswoman-elect Grijalva is a voice not only for her constituents in the 7th District, but for millions of Latinos across the country. 

We understand that the U.S. Congress is currently in a shutdown and, like millions of Americans, we hope the Congress will reach a bipartisan solution. In the meantime, we urge you to consider the options available to schedule the swearing-in ceremony immediately. This issue must rise above partisan issues as it is an American value for our citizens to have representation, and it is vital to upholding our democratic process. This delay is unprecedented and should not become a normalized process if we want to maintain a healthy democracy. 

Countless members of the U.S. House and Senate have expressed their support for the people of Arizona’s 7th Congressional District. On behalf of the people of the 7th District, the state of Arizona and millions of Americans, we respectfully urge you to take action now and seat Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva. 

Sincerely,

Alianza for Progress

America’s Voice 

Americans for Tax Fairness

Aquí: The Accountability Movement

Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans (AARA)

Center for Earth, Energy & Democracy (CEED)

Chispa Arizona

Climate Hawks Vote

Climate Power

Climate Power En Acción

GALEO Impact Fund

Girl Plus Environment 

GreenLatinos

Hispanic Federation

Elders Climate Action, Arizona

El Verde Es Vida, IncludUs Fund

Latina Civic Action

Latino Victory Project 

League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)

Mi Familia Vota

National Education Association (NEA)

Poder Latinx 

Poder PAC 

Public Citizen

Rural Arizona Engagement (RAZE)

Sunrise Movement

UnidosUS Action Fund

UnidosUS

VetsForward (VetsFWD)

VoteVets

Voto Latino

Young, Gifted & Green

This list will be updated as more organizations sign on.