nanette barragan. tell us about what you were doing before you ran for office. >> i was serving on the council where i lived in hermosa beach. i was practicing law. flight forenough a an oil company that wanted to drill in the santa monica bay. it was a long fight. >> why did you go into law? >> when i was a kid, my parents were poor. my mom said, you are a doctor or lawyer. that is the only way you will get out of this. -- when i seef it blood, i pass out. >> why do you think they have that outlook? >> they were not educated. my mom had a third grade education. from what she saw, she came up with that. i do not really know how that happened. >> your parents emigrated from mexico? >> both of them. >> what was that like for them? and what affected have on you and your siblings? >> they came here for a better life for their children. you hear stories about how they struggled when they got here. they were working hard to make sure we can go to college. in latino families, it is customary that you take care of your parents. for me, seeing their struggle, and her own service -- my father was a tv repair man. sometimes people cannot afford to pay him, and he would say that was ok. about me, it is been paying back when i was able to get. that has had a huge impact. now that i have made it, it has been about what can i do to help create opportunities for others? and expand opportunities. because in my district, only 10% of students going to college. >> what about your siblings? >> yes. you were one of 11? >> yes. >> what was that like growing up? >> it was a very packed house all the time, and it was very loud. that is why i speak loud. it had quite an impact. when i graduated from high school, it made me want to go away. it made me want to live in a small town. i went to davis for my first year of undergrad. it was very different than los angeles. i came back after a year. my father was ill at the time. >> was your family able to join you for the swearing-in? >> yes. we had 14 members of my family come out. it was a big group. it was my mother's first time in washington. she has never been here before. that was real special. >> what was the reaction when she found out that you won? what was it like for her to be here for the swearing in of her youngest of 11 to become a member of congress? >> it was pretty emotional to have my mom come. she cries a lot, and then i cry. there was a lot of that happening. both when i won and then coming out here. she was scheduled to have hip surgery and put that off so she could be here for the swearing-in. >> what was the immigration process like for your parents? -- to come to the united states. shapedyou think that your outlook on immigration policy? >> i remember as a kid when my mom was studying for the exam. my father was a permanent resident. my father never became a citizen. i did not know that until after he passed. i do remember as a kid, studying with her. i would ask her questions like how many stripes are on the flag? how many stars are on the flag? i did not understand it until i got a little older. i know firsthand because i am an attorney and i represented immigrants how important it is. to see her go through and see her become a citizen she is a , huge voter, always believes in making sure she votes. it really impacted me in my ability to not only vote but to understand the importance of what it is like to have the privilege to be a citizen here. because i've been a lawyer, i have seen people being deported. i have family who have come. a lot of them have stayed at our house when i was growing up. i have been through the process. immigration is not something i'm learning. i lived immigration. it makes it very personal. perspectivea unique , which is important. >> for your siblings, or you all born here? >> i have two brothers who were born in mexico. >> what was the process like for them? mother'sere from my first marriage. i do not remember what the process was like to them. i just remember my mother. she was going through her process. >> is this something you plan to work on out here? >> absolutely. i ran on the fact that we needed immigration reform. when i was running, i thought there would be a different outcome. the goals have changed a little. how do we protect folks? we will continue to focus on comprehensive immigration reform. given the status of the houses and the president, it is going to take a little longer. >> talk a little bit more about your district. what does it look like? who lives there? what do they do? >> it runs from san francisco to the port of los angeles and a goes through some very working-class neighborhoods. like carson, compton, and watts california. it is 70% latino and it is very diverse. we had the port of l.a. in the district. immigrants across the area. a croatian community. italians. mexican-americans. for me it is a benefit that i speak spanish because i could talk to folks when i knocked on doors there. >> who and what groups supported your race? we had a lot of diverse support. >> we had women's groups, emily's list, we had environmental groups, sierra club, league of conservation voters, and then we had people who believed on sending someone to washington who would fight for them. we ran a campaign on my story. i'm the daughter of immigrants from mexico. i'd be done. i got a piece of the american dream, now i want to make sure that you have that same shot. it started with a personal story and then we went to some of the issues and the differences between my opponent and i. but really it is a story of hope. at a time when we had a very divisive presidential election people wanted hope. , it is something that wins, right? people want to know that they have opportunity for their kids. >> how will you put those words into action legislatively? >> part of it is protecting immigrants and families. trying to keep them together. because they have lost hope and that is what we are hearing right now. we will stand up and fight for those families and try to find even on a bipartisan level to protect those families. district is also one of the highest polluted areas of the country. that is a cycle of poverty and has different themes. the children in my district, the asthma rates are high. they are too sick to go to school. impacts their ability to be in school, and then you only have 10% graduating. it is a cycle of addressing the environment and education. making sure we try to invest in early childhood education is key. trying to find ways in washington to build common ground and coalitions. so many areas, trying to invest in these groups. the port of l.a. being there is a huge economic engine. it creates opportunities for the families. >> is that where most of the jobs are in the district? >> a huge amount, absolutely, down at the port. there's a lot of talk about transportation and construction funding. and if we can get money to come to the district for ridges, ports, and roads. for me, it starts with education and health. if they are too sick to go to school, you have a cycle that will not work. >> congresswoman, thank you for your time. >> thank you. unfoldsn, where history daily. c-span was created as a televisionamericans companies. it is brought to you today by your cable or satellite provider. sunday night on afterwards, melissa fleming a chief spokesperson for the u.n. refugees commission recounts a journey of a young refugee. it is a story of love, loss, and survival. she is interviewed by the president of refugees international. 2011 and the arab spring is happening all around them. they are turning on the television. families in average syria have homes and livelihoods and health care. they are going about their day to day life. this family in particular was not politically active. up in this kind -- while the other countries around us are changing , maybe things can change here. the character who was then 16 years old is inspired to god and see what is happening. she witnesses that peaceful protesters are shot at. >> sunday night on afterwards. next, from earlier today, the dnc candidate forum in baltimore, maryland and then a political reporter talks about his recent piece, the albright -- alt-right comes to washington. then people testify before the house homeland security committee about securing the southern border. the democratic national committee will elect a new chair later this month. the candidates for that position met this weekend in baltimore to discuss outreach efforts and other priorities for the organization. this forum was moderated by a white house correspondent. it included an introduction from chair donna brazil. >> the candidates are ready. as i said earlier today, i want to thank everybody for hosting us.