A few days before the State of the Union address was held Tuesday, Feb. 25, Congresswoman Luz Rivas announced that her guest would be Sylvia Fajardo, executive director and principal of Pacoima Charter Elementary School and a United States Marine Corps (USMC) veteran.
“Our community in Pacoima has faced many challenges over the past year because of [President] Donald Trump and ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement],” said Fajardo. “I have seen firsthand how ICE’s terror has impacted the students and families I work with. Students and families deserve to go to school free from fear and harm at the hands of this administration.”
Born and raised in Chihuahua, Mexico, Fajardo immigrated to the U.S. when she was 13 years old. She learned English through courses at San Fernando Middle School and San Fernando High School. After graduating from high school, Fajardo became a naturalized citizen.
Fajardo enlisted in the USMC and served for eight years, receiving an honorable discharge.
After her military service, she began a career in education, teaching K-3 classes in the San Fernando Valley. She later received her master’s degree in education administration from California State University, Northridge, in 1999.
She became the assistant principal at Pacoima Charter Elementary in 1999 and has served as the school’s executive director since 2008.
“Sylvia Fajardo is an immigrant, a veteran, a fighter and the embodiment of the American Dream,” said Rivas. “As principal of Pacoima Charter Elementary School and a Marine veteran, Sylvia understands what it truly means to dedicate your life to serving our community and our country with honor.”
The State of the Union address ran for a record-breaking hour and 45 minutes, beating the previous record, also set by Trump in 2025, by eight minutes. In it, Trump doubled down on his attacks on immigrants, saying his administration is “getting them the hell out of here fast” and calling the Democrats in attendance “crazy.”
On social media, Rivas and Fajardo put out a response to Trump’s address, saying they heard nothing but lies and not any sort of plan to make life more affordable for working families.
“Instead, he blamed them [immigrants] for everything that’s wrong in our country,” Rivas said, instead of taking responsibility for wreaking havoc in our communities all over the country and attacking immigrants and United States citizens that he shouldn’t be.”
Fajardo said she was hoping to hear some message of unity, but wasn’t surprised when it didn’t happen.
“He continues to demonize our communities, the communities that I represent, and that’s just … very sad,” Fajardo said. She added that it was “ also very sad to see how many people there at the address … believe his lies,” referring to the Republicans on the House floor and in the gallery cheering for Trump.