Several House Democrats have announced plans to bring guests tied to high-profile national issues to President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address, reflecting political tensions around the release of documents connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and immigration enforcement, lawmakers said Monday.
Democratic representatives Ro Khanna of California and Robert Garcia of California confirmed they will attend the speech with guests who are alleged survivors of abuse by Epstein or advocates for transparency in the federal release of related records. Khanna said he will bring Haley Robson, a woman who has spoken publicly about her experience, while Garcia said he will be joined by Annie Farmer, another survivor pressing for broader release of files.
Some Democrats will bring people who were allegedly detained by ICE during the protests and riots in Minnesota that erupted after the death of Renee Nicole Good, the Daily Caller reported.
Other House Democrats are also participating in similar efforts, with lawmakers inviting family members of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre and other survivors to highlight concerns about the Justice Department’s handling of the release of millions of pages of documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Congress passed – and Trump readily signed – the act late last year, and some 3.5 million documents related to multiple Epstein investigations have been released. Democrats had no interest in the files during Joe Biden’s presidency. Also, Trump campaigned on releasing the files.
Democrat Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar announced she is bringing four guests to President Donald Trump’s SOTU speech Tuesday night.
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She claims three were detained by ICE in Minnesota — including Aliya Rahman, who appeared in a viral video showing federal agents pulling her from her vehicle, the New York Post reported.
Omar will be taking Rahman, Mary Granlund, Mubashir Hussen and Gerardo Orozco Guzman.
“The stories of these four Minnesotans reflect how ICE’s reckless actions in Minnesota through ‘Operation Metro Surge’ have devastated Minnesotans’ safety and economic security,” her press release stated.
The invitations come ahead of Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday evening, where he is expected to outline policy priorities on issues including economic growth, national security and immigration. Democratic lawmakers have said the guest selections aim to draw attention to the ongoing debate over transparency and accountability in the Epstein case and to spotlight the impact of federal immigration enforcement actions.
In September, Robson joined Khanna and Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, along with several alleged survivors of Epstein, outside the U.S. Capitol. She urged the administration to release the Epstein files and ensure accountability.
“Haley’s courageous fight is proof that this isn’t about politics, it’s about exposing America’s two-tiered system of justice and bringing accountability to the Epstein class involved in the horrific abuse of young girls,” said Khanna in a statement. “She and her fellow survivors’ bravery was the catalyst for changing a rotten system and finally standing up for humanity and American values.”
Separately, the guest list also includes individuals invited by Republican leaders, such as Olympic athletes and families of law-enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, illustrating the broad range of issues members of both parties intend to emphasize during the high-profile annual address.
Democrat Virginia Representative James Walkinshaw announced on Saturday that he plans to invite Jess Michaels, who alleged that Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused her in 1991 when she was 22 years old, according to WUSA9 News.
Additionally, Walkinshaw’s fellow Democratic representatives, Suhas Subramanyan of Virginia and Jamie Raskin of Maryland, stated that they intend to bring family members of the late Virginia Giuffre as their guests. Giuffre was a prominent accuser of Epstein and tragically died by suicide in 2025.
