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U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) criticized the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies, budget priorities, and treatment of the media during a virtual briefing hosted by American Community Media. The senator also called for stronger Congressional oversight and renewed support for local journalism.
“We’re living in a very different time, a different political climate,” he said. “We can only succeed if you continue to speak truth to power,” he told reporters.
Padilla, who previously served as California Secretary of State, state senator, and Los Angeles City Councilmember, said the current political climate marks a significant shift from his earlier years in public service. Padilla made headlines recently after being detained during a press conference hosted by the Department of Homeland Security and said to be concerned about how he as a senator was treated just by asking questions.
“If this is how this administration responds to a United States Senator then we can only imagine what they are willing to do and what they are doing to many people in all corners of the country,” he said.
Among his top concerns were recent budget cuts to health and social programs, including a proposed trillion-dollar cut to Medicaid that Padilla said would impact 17 million Americans, while increasing funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by $170 billion to continue the government’s mass deportation agenda.
Padilla spoke about how he introduced the Visible Act earlier this year, legislation that would require federal immigration agents to wear visible identification and prohibit the use of non-medical face coverings during enforcement actions.
“People should not have to wake up and fear they’re being kidnapped by masked strangers,” he said. Padilla answered a question from a member of the media about local militia getting involved and targeting immigrants. Padilla emphasized the reason the Visible Act is important for Public Safety since people need to identify who in law enforcement and who is not.
The bill does not limit immigration enforcement authority or tactics. It does not apply to covert or non-public operations, nor does it prohibit face coverings when necessary for officer safety. It also does not apply to enforcement actions conducted solely under criminal authority.
“The only area of the federal budget that saw a significant investment was ICE,” Padilla said. “This is not just a continuation, but an escalation of the mass detention and deportation system.”
In a question-and-answer segment, Padilla responded to community concerns about missing individuals following ICE raids in California, including a reported incident in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. He urged the public and media to maintain contact with congressional offices to help identify and locate individuals in custody.
Asked about potential plans to revoke U.S. citizenship from political opponents, a threat reportedly directed at comedian Rosie O’Donnell, Padilla said such actions would be unconstitutional, though he acknowledged the need to remain vigilant.
“Trump will say and try anything,” Padilla said. “That will be the extreme, of the extreme, of the extreme but that doesn’t mean that they are not going to try so we will have to fight back and resist.”
The senator pointed to recent polling that shows growing public opposition to harsh immigration policies. He said the data reflects a shift in public sentiment that lawmakers should act upon.
“They are seeing the cruelty in which the administration is reflected in the poll numbers and are seeing the overreach of government.”
Padilla called on his fellow Democrats to communicate better so that they can speak directly to the people and flip the congress in their favor of the Democrats and have more oversight on the spending the government is doing.