Immigration

A proud son of immigrants from Mexico, Alex knows firsthand the enormous contributions that immigrants make to our communities and our economy, and he has prioritized immigration reform since the day he was sworn in to the U.S. Senate. As the first ever Latino to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, he is leading the fight for immigration reform and a pathway to citizenship for immigrants.

The very first bill Alex introduced as a U.S. Senator would create a pathway to citizenship for the immigrant essential workers who have bravely worked on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2022, he joined farm workers picking crops to experience how strenuous the work is and to hear their perspective on what a pathway to citizenship would mean for them. Alex is also the lead sponsor of a bipartisan bill to provide a pathway to citizenship for “Documented Dreamers”—the children of long-term visa holders who may face deportation after age 21 without a green card or other immigration status. And for the brave men and women who choose to serve our country in uniform, Alex has introduced legislation to ensure that veterans are not subject to deportation.

Recent News

SAN DIEGO, CA — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, was denied entry to Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego while he attempted to exercise his Congressional oversight role amid reports of inhumane...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), along with Representative Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.-10), raised the alarm on steps the Trump Administration is taking to potentially reopen Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Dublin as an...
Amicus brief rejects Trump Administration’s unconstitutional attempt to rewrite asylum statutes by executive action WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.-08), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary...
SAN DIEGO, CA — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, was denied entry to Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego while he attempted to exercise his Congressional oversight role amid reports of inhumane...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), along with Representative Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.-10), raised the alarm on steps the Trump Administration is taking to potentially reopen Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Dublin as an...
Amicus brief rejects Trump Administration’s unconstitutional attempt to rewrite asylum statutes by executive action WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.-08), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary...
Lawmakers: “The Trump Administration’s policies risk eliminating a significant number of trained caregivers from an already strained system, reducing access to care and raising child care costs for American families” “Rather than making child care more affordable, President Trump has...
In letter to Noem and Lyons, Senate Democrats cite 30+ deaths since the start of the Trump Administration with concern over continued expansion of immigration detention WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary...
Padilla and Wyden sound alarm that IRS errors improperly exposed private taxpayer information to ICE WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of both the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, took to the Senate floor to condemn Congressional Republicans’ attempts to pass the SAVE...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, issued the following statement after voting against another bill to fund Donald Trump’s out-of-control Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, blasted Senate Republicans for holding a hearing entitled “Somali Fraud in Minnesota — The Tip of the Iceberg” to spew sweeping generalizations about...
“ICE and CBP[’s] … disregard for child welfare undermines the government’s core child-protection obligations. Yet your agency does not appear to be taking any action to speak out against or investigate the impacts of the Trump Administration’s immigration agenda on...