Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) urged Congress to protect recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and called out the Trump administration for breaking a long-standing promise to immigrants who came to the United States as children.
Speaking on a call with immigration advocates organized by the Home Is Here coalition, Padilla said the federal government made a commitment more than a decade ago that young immigrants who stepped forward under the program would be shielded from deportation.
“The United States government made a promise,” Padilla said, stating that participants in the program trusted that commitment when they came forward to register.
Padilla described DACA recipients as “Dreamers” deeply embedded in American communities, noting that many grew up attending U.S. schools, participating in youth activities, and building careers. Aside from their immigration status, he said, they are “American in every way that truly matters.”
The California Democrat said recipients of the program followed the rules established by the government, including undergoing repeated background checks in order to renew their protections. However, he pointed to the administration for undermining that agreement through its immigration enforcement policies.
Padilla Calls Out Trump And Noem’s Mass Deportation Campaign
Padilla criticized President Donald Trump and Kristi Noem—who was just removed from her position as Secretary of Homeland Security—stating that the administration had targeted immigrants indiscriminately during enforcement operations.
According to Padilla, more than 260 recipients of the program were detained during immigration raids last year, with dozens ultimately deported.
The senator also pushed back on claims that those detained posed a public safety threat. He stated that most individuals swept up in enforcement actions had no violent criminal history and said the government’s characterizations of immigrants had been unreliable.
Padilla pointed to several incidents that he said illustrated the administration’s broader approach to immigration enforcement, including the needless murders of Renée Good and Alex Pretti and administration officials—including Noem—subsequently labeling them as “domestic terrorists.” Such cases, he said, raised questions about the accuracy of official claims that enforcement efforts were focused primarily on dangerous individuals.
He also highlighted the story of Maria de Jesús Estrada Juárez, a DACA recipient he said was detained by immigration authorities while attending a green-card appointment. Padilla said he recently met with the woman’s daughter and heard how the detention affected the family.
Padilla Calls For Passage Of The DREAM Act
Padilla said Dreamers contribute across the economy as teachers, healthcare workers, entrepreneurs, and other professionals. For that reason, he argued, Congress should move beyond temporary protections and pass legislation creating a permanent pathway to citizenship.
Specifically, Padilla called on lawmakers to approve the DREAM Act, which would grant legal status to many immigrants brought to the country as children.
During his remarks, Padilla also sharply criticized Noem’s leadership at the Department of Homeland Security, saying she had failed to earn public trust. He called on her to release DACA recipients still in federal custody and to change the department’s enforcement practices.
Padilla concluded by urging advocates to continue pressing for immigration reform, saying the push to secure legal protections for Dreamers would continue.
