U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi called for bipartisan solutions on immigration and border security at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night, sharing the story of his Italian immigrant father with the crowd of 25,000 people.

“Let’s be clear: the border is broken,” Suozzi said. “But this year, when Democrats and Republicans worked together to finally write new border laws, we were blocked.”

Suozzi spoke at the convention In Chicago, preceding speeches given by Democratic Vice Presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, former President Bill Clinton, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The recently elected representative gained national attention as a Democrat who successfully campaigned on immigration issues during his special election this past February when he was re-elected to his former congressional seat after former Rep. George Santos was ousted from office.

Suozzi is running for re-election against state former state Assembly Member Mike LiPetri.

“Earlier this year, I flipped the seat from red to blue,” Suozzi said Wednesday night, met with cheers from the crowd.

Suozzi shared the story of his father, an Italian immigrant who arrived in the United States as a young boy.

Suozzi said his father was the first in his neighborhood to go to college. He later served as a navigator in World War II. Suozzi said his father was elected at 28 years old as the youngest judge in New York State history.

“What a country,” Suozzi said. “The immigrant experience, e pluribus unum, out of many one. My family’s experience, Kamala Harris’ experience, the American experience.”

Suozzi shared a tradition of his Italian grandfather with the 25,000 attendees, a traditional toast he would make to newly married couples.

“He’d say ‘marriage sometimes is hard, but in the end non c’è rosa senza spine,’” Suozzi said. “You can’t have the roses without the thorns. You have to work for it.”

Suozzi compared this to the difficulties of being a “nation of immigrants.”

“Tonight we celebrate the roses of life,” Suozzi said. “We come together from every state, from every ethnicity, from every race and religion. We come together tonight to celebrate our candidate Kamala Harris.”

Suozzi applauded Harris, saying she has an appreciation for a country “built by immigrants.” He said she will work across the aisle to seek border security solutions.

Suozzi denounced the polarization of immigration, continuing his campaign calls for bipartisan solutions to border security.

Suozzi supported the federal bipartisan immigration bill presented in Congress in January, pushing for its advancement as he campaigned in the special election.

But that legislation failed, notably due to Senate Republicans killing the bill – which lumped together aid for Israel and Ukraine – after Trump announced his opposition to it.

“We reject this divisiveness, we reject the dysfunction, we reject the deception,” Suozzi said.

Suozzi said Wednesday, prior to his speech, that seeking these bipartisan compromises can help the Democratic Party in November’s elections.

“If we make it clear that we support securing the border through the bipartisan deal, that was undercut by [former President Donald Trump], that evens up the polls in the case of immigration,” Suozzi said.