
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal was honored for his service to the country over the weekend by a national nonprofit that recognizes the contributions of immigrants.
Rep. Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, was presented Saturday with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor by the Ellis Island Honors Society in New York.
“I am humbled to receive this prestigious award and appreciate the EIHS for inviting me to receive it this weekend at perhaps our nation’s most famous monument to the legacy of its immigrants,” Rep. Carbajal said. “When my parents brought me and my siblings to the United States when I was only 5 years old, we were following in the footsteps of millions who have come to this great nation over centuries in search of prosperity and the promise of a better life.”
“And since then, I have worked to ensure that opportunity and prosperity is available for all who call this country home,” he continued. “To be recognized in the company of some of our nation’s greatest figures is an honor that I will never forget.”
Rep. Carbajal was born in Moroleón in Mexico. He is a veteran who served during the Gulf War and is a former Santa Barbara County supervisor.
In addition to Rep. Carbajal, GOP U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, U.S. Army Forces Command General Michael Garrett, former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Aeronautical Radio CEO John Belcher, UPS Foundation President Eduardo Martinez; Harvard School of Public Health Dean Michelle Williams; Sirius XM founder Martine Rothblatt; former ambassador and Susan Go. Komen for the Cure founder Nancy Brinker; producer Bonnie Comley; astronaut Michael Massimino and professional golfer Juan ‘Chi Chi’ Rodriguez were included in the 35th annual ceremony.
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