In case you hadn’t heard, Rep. Joe Kennedy III is fluent in Spanish.

The Massachusetts congressman used that skill to draw a contrast Tuesday night while delivering the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, during which the Republican president delivered the tinged line, “Americans are Dreamers too.”

Speaking from a Fall River vocational school, Kennedy broke into his second language to directly address so-called Dreamers, immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children and whose future has been thrown into uncertainty by the current immigration debate.

“To all the Dreamers out there watching tonight, let me be absolutely clear,” he said. “Ustedes son parte de nuestra historia. Vamos a luchar por ustedes y no nos vamos aljar.”


Raising his voice, Kennedy then repeated the English translation: “You are part of our story. We will fight for you and we will not walk away.”

Rep. Joe Kennedy III addresses Dreamers in Spanish and English: "You are part of our story. We will fight for you and we will not walk away." pic.twitter.com/U2ciKCxWqh — NBC News (@NBCNews) January 31, 2018

Watch Kennedy’s full speech below: