Milford native Rony Baltazar-Lopez tapped to lead Delaware’s new Office of New Americans

Milford native Rony Baltazar-Lopez, the son of Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants, has been appointed the first director of Delaware’s new Office of New Americans

Meyer, Democrats hail Office of New Americans as GOP underscores costs, undocumented population

MILFORD, Del. — Milford native Rony Baltazar-Lopez, the son of Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants, has been appointed the first director of Delaware’s new Office of New Americans — a move Democrats are praising as a major step for immigrant families, while Republicans highlight the program’s price tag and the number of undocumented residents it could serve.

Gov. Matt Meyer formally launched the office Nov. 3, placing it in the Department of State to coordinate services such as citizenship assistance, language access, workforce development and civic engagement for immigrants across Delaware.

“When immigrants arrive in Delaware, they don’t just add to our population — they strengthen our neighborhoods, enrich our culture, and build businesses that benefit all Delawareans,” Meyer said in announcing the office. “The Office of New Americans will be responsible for ensuring every immigrant has the support they need to succeed in our state.”

State data show immigrants make up about 11.5% of Delaware’s population — nearly 118,000 residents — and roughly 79,000 are in the workforce, including about 6,900 entrepreneurs. They contribute an estimated $1.4 billion to the state’s economy each year.

Milford roots, national experience

Baltazar-Lopez grew up in Milford, where his parents worked blue-collar jobs and stressed education, discipline and staying connected to their Latino heritage. His mother insisted he be fully bilingual, arranging Spanish tutoring so he could read, write and speak the language fluently.

A 2013 graduate of Milford High School, Baltazar-Lopez started in the University of Delaware’s Associate in Arts program at Delaware Tech before moving to UD’s main campus. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s in public administration from UD.

His public service career began in Washington, D.C., where he worked in the U.S. Senate as a staff assistant and later a legislative staffer for Sen. Tom Carper, helping handle a portfolio that included immigration, homeland security and foreign affairs.

Back in Delaware, he served as a communications staffer in the Attorney General’s Office before becoming director of policy and communications at the Department of State, overseeing legislative affairs and messaging.

Baltazar-Lopez also has deep local ties: He served on the Milford School Board from 2019 to 2022, including two years as vice president, and sits on several boards, including the ACLU of Delaware, the Delaware Center for Inland Bays, the City of Milford Parks & Recreation Advisory Board and the Educational Equity Council. He is board president of La Red Health Center, a federally qualified health center serving many immigrant families in Sussex County, and vice chair of the Delaware Hispanic Commission.

“As the son of immigrants, I am deeply honored to lead the establishment of the Office of New Americans,” Baltazar-Lopez said in a statement circulated by the state and Delaware media outlets. “Immigrants are vital to the strength of our economy, the richness of our culture, and the fabric of our communities. It’s time we fully recognize and support their contributions.”

Democrats frame the office as a promise to immigrants

Democratic lawmakers who spent several years pushing legislation to create the office describe it as both an economic tool and a moral commitment.

“The economic vitality of our state is, in large part, due to the excellence and enormity of our immigrant community,” Sen. Darius Brown said, calling Baltazar-Lopez “the right choice” to turn a long-held vision into reality.

Rep. Josue Ortega, one of the bill sponsors, said Delaware’s identity as the First State comes with a responsibility to stand with immigrants.

“As the first state in the nation, Delaware has a unique promise to uphold, not only to the people who reside in it today, but to those who helped build it: immigrants,” Ortega said, noting that nearly 12% of Delawareans were born abroad. “If we fail to stand alongside them, we shouldn’t dare call ourselves a state of neighbors.”

Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton added that “immigrants make our community beautiful and strong,” saying a dedicated office can help new Delawareans build “successful lives in our community here and across the state.”

Advocates also point out that Delaware is joining nearly half of U.S. states that already operate similar offices to streamline services, and say that centralizing information could help families navigate everything from school enrollment to professional licensing.

Republicans stress cost, structure, and undocumented numbers

House Republicans have not issued a formal statement opposing the new office, but their early messaging has focused on how it was created, how much it will cost and how many undocumented residents might be served.

In a news brief posted on the caucus website, GOP staff noted that an Office of New Americans was first proposed in Senate Bill 27 earlier this year, but the bill stalled in the Senate Finance Committee. Instead, lawmakers ultimately created the office through epilogue language in the fiscal 2026 operating budget — a route Republicans frequently criticize as limiting public debate.

The same brief cites an analysis from the Office of the Controller General, which estimates the new office will cost $648,809 to establish and operate through fiscal year 2028.

Relying on data from the American Immigration Council, the GOP post underscores that about 118,900 immigrants live in Delaware and roughly 79,700 are in the workforce — but it also highlights an estimated 30,500 residents believed to be “undocumented,” explicitly noting they are in the country due to “civil or criminal violations, depending on the circumstances of their arrival.”

That emphasis reflects broader Republican concerns seen in debates nationwide: that state programs aimed at helping immigrants must be closely monitored to ensure tax dollars are spent responsibly, that services don’t encourage unlawful immigration, and that legal residents aren’t pushed to the back of the line for limited housing, education or health resources.

At the same time, the House GOP write-up includes Baltazar-Lopez’s own statement that “immigrants are vital to the strength of our economy” and acknowledges that nearly half of U.S. states have created similar offices — a sign that, even on the right, there is recognition that immigrant workers are a key part of Delaware’s labor force.

So far, prominent Republican lawmakers, including Milford-area Rep. Bryan Shupe, have not publicly weighed in on the office or Baltazar-Lopez’s appointment, leaving much of the GOP response confined to the brief and to broader concerns about spending and immigration enforcement.

Common ground and what comes next

For now, both Meyer and legislative leaders are pitching the Office of New Americans as a hub that will partner — rather than compete — with nonprofits, schools and churches already serving immigrant families.

The office plans a statewide listening tour to gather input from immigrants, employers and service providers and will coordinate with the Department of Justice’s Office of Immigration Assistance, which already helps residents navigate citizenship and legal questions.

Supporters argue that having a Milford native with lived experience — and a resume spanning D.C. policy work, state government and local boards — could help bridge partisan divides.

Critics and cautious observers, particularly on the right, say they will be watching how the new office defines success: whether it focuses on helping immigrants work legally, learn English and integrate into local communities, or drifts into what they see as duplicative bureaucracy.

For Baltazar-Lopez, the task ahead is both personal and political.

“The state, generally speaking, is supportive of immigrants, and we want to make sure that they feel safe in our communities to send their kids to school and to go to work,” he said in a recent interview. “We hope this office serves as a partnership to the Delaware General Assembly.”

How that partnership plays out — and whether the Office of New Americans earns the trust of both immigrant families and skeptical taxpayers — will likely be one of Dover’s most closely watched experiments over the next few years.