Giffords Senior Advisor Debbie Mucarsel-Powell was the first South American-born immigrant ever elected to Congress. Debbie immigrated to the United States at the age of 14 with her mother and three sisters. When she was 24, Debbie’s father was murdered, which led her to dedicate her life to advocating for commonsense gun reform.  

Debbie was elected to Florida’s 26th Congressional District in 2018. In Congress, she focused on foreign affairs, education, healthcare policy, environmental sustainability, and gun violence prevention. She sat on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism & Homeland Security and served as Vice-Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, where she led efforts to pass the first gun safety legislation in 25 years.

Debbie came to Congress with more than 20 years of experience at the FIU College of Medicine, FIU College of Health & Urban Affairs, FIU College of Social Work, Justice and Public Affairs, and Miami-Dade College, as well as experience at nonprofits providing social services, education, and environmental sustainability. Fluent in Spanish, Debbie is also available for Spanish-language media.