On Tuesday, Adriano Espaillat made history when he was sworn in as the first Dominican American and first formerly undocumented immigrant in Congress. “It was always my aspiration to come to the U.S. Congress,” Espaillat told NBC Latino in a Facebook video posted Wednesday. The video shares a bit of the congressman’s background from his childhood in the Dominican Republic to the nation’s social climate (Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War) when he arrived at nine years old.

“Perhaps I was built for this kind of scenario, to be a fighter for the district that I represent, to be someone who will push really hard to get results for the people that feel they have no voices,” said Espaillat, who will be representing New York City residents in Upper Manhattan and western parts of the Bronx.

In related news, Espaillat and friends continued the celebration post-swearing in with live music and of course, merengue.