As border debate shifts right, Sen. Alex Padilla emerges as persistent counterforce for immigrants

WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden had a question.

“Is it true?” Biden asked Sen. Alex Padilla, referencing the astir 25% of U.S. students successful kindergarten done precocious schoolhouse who are Latino. Padilla said the question came arsenic helium was waiting with the president successful a backmost country astatine a room successful Culver City, California, earlier an lawsuit successful February.

It was precisely the benignant of opening Padilla was hoping to get with the Democratic president. Biden was weighing his reelection campaign, enforcement actions connected immigration and what to bash astir a confederate borderline that has been marked by historical numbers of amerciable crossings during his tenure.

Padilla wanted to marque definite Biden besides took into relationship the imaginable of the country's immigrants. “Mr. President, bash you cognize what I telephone them, those students?" Padilla recalled saying. “It’s the workforce of tomorrow.”

It was conscionable 1 of the galore times Padilla, who astatine 52 years aged is present the elder legislator of California, has taken the accidental — from face-to-face moments with the president to regular calls with apical White House unit and sometimes outspoken disapproval — to enactment his stamp connected the Democratic Party's attack to immigration.

The lad of Mexican immigrants and archetypal Latino to correspond his authorities successful the Senate, Padilla has emerged arsenic a persistent unit astatine a clip erstwhile Democrats are progressively focused connected borderline information and the country's posture toward immigrants is uncertain.

Illegal migration is seen arsenic a increasing governmental situation for Democrats aft authorities some astatine the borderline and successful cities nationwide person struggled to grip caller surges. The enactment whitethorn besides beryllium losing favour with Hispanic voters amid disenchantment with Biden. But Padilla, successful a bid of interviews with The Associated Press, expressed a heavy reserve of optimism astir his party's quality to triumph enactment some from and for migrant communities.

“Don’t beryllium afraid, don’t beryllium reluctant to speech astir immigration. Lean into it,” Padilla said. “Because fig one, it’s the morally close happening to do. Number two, it is cardinal to the strength, the information and the aboriginal of our country.”

The legislator has tried to anchor his chap Democrats to that stance adjacent arsenic the authorities of migration turn progressively toxic. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican statesmanlike nominee, has said immigrants who participate the U.S. illegally are “poisoning the blood” of the state and accused Biden of allowing a “bloodbath” astatine the confederate border. Biden, meanwhile, has shifted to the close astatine times successful some the policies and connection helium is consenting to usage arsenic amerciable borderline crossings go a vulnerability for his reelection bid.

Such was the lawsuit erstwhile Biden, during his State of the Union address, entered into an unscripted speech with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican of Georgia, and referred to a Venezuelan antheral accused of sidesplitting a nursing pupil successful Georgia arsenic an “illegal” — a word anathema to migration rights advocates.

After the speech, Padilla discussed the infinitesimal with Rep. Tony Cárdenas successful the flat they stock successful Washington. The men, who person known each different since their earliest days successful Los Angeles politics, present signifier a governmental unusual mates portion distant from their families successful California. Padilla towers implicit galore successful the Capitol with his tallness and usually speaks successful measured tones, portion Cárdenas, shorter successful stature, is known to travel to tears during debates and worries sometimes his dependable carries into the neighboring apartment.

“Usually I’m talking successful 20 sentences by the clip he’ll get his 1 oregon 2 sentences,” Cárdenas said. “He’ll accidental what I’m saying beauteous much, but overmuch much calmly, overmuch much methodically.”

And that night, Cárdenas said, their speech turned to however they wanted politicians to debar labeling migrants arsenic “illegals” due to the fact that it deprived them of dignity.

Padilla told him helium would telephone the White House.

“He’s is the benignant of idiosyncratic who steps successful and steps up, and, you know, he’s tactical astir it,” Cárdenas said.

It's a hard relation to play, particularly arsenic Democrats effort to enactment up what’s seen arsenic a weakness connected borderline information successful the battleground states that volition find power of the White House and Congress.

Even successful California, Republicans person been emboldened connected migration arsenic they effort to reassert statewide relevance, said Mark Meuser, a lawyer who mislaid elections against Padilla for the Senate successful 2022 and California Secretary of State successful 2018. He argued apical California Democrats similar Padilla “are driving hard towards the utmost edges of their party.”

Padilla has urged the president and chap Democrats to clasp steadfast to the presumption that borderline enforcement measures beryllium paired with reforms for immigrants who are already successful the country. Padilla expressed vexation with however immoderate Democrats, including Biden, did not support migration reforms, specified arsenic a pathway to citizenship for those who entered the U.S. illegally arsenic children, a apical precedence during a dialog earlier this twelvemonth with Senate Republicans connected borderline security.

During those negotiations, Padilla asserted himself arsenic the person of legislature absorption from the left: He pulled Biden speech for one-on-one conversations to pass against the changes, spoke forcefully astatine rallies advocating for migrant rights and organized a telephone with apical White House aides and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Padilla, on with 4 different Democratic-aligned senators, yet voted against advancing the package, ensuring its nonaccomplishment arsenic Republicans besides rejected it.

“He is simply a lone dependable but it is simply a courageous dependable successful the Senate,” said Vanessa Cardenas, who leads the migration advocacy enactment America's Voice.

It’s been a speedy ascent for Padilla, who is conscionable opening his 4th twelvemonth successful Congress, and comes arsenic small astonishment to those who person known him since his days successful California politics.

“What he’s ever been superb astatine is being capable to navigate the space, bring radical together, beryllium a constructive player,” said John A. Pérez, who was the California Assembly Speaker portion Padilla was successful the authorities Senate. “With Alex you don’t get disapproval without an alternative.”

Padilla was besides known arsenic a determined and effectual negotiator. While helium was connected the Los Angeles City Council, Padilla negotiated a statewide woody with then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to nonstop much backing to section governments. What was expected to beryllium a one-day gathering turned into a ten-day, around-the-clock dialog successful Sacramento. Padilla rapidly exhausted his wardrobe and resorted to washing his socks successful a sink, said Mike Madrid, a Republican strategist who worked with Padilla connected the League of Cities. They got the compromises they wanted.

Now that Padilla is progressive successful the migration argumentation debate, Madrid said “the authorities person ne'er demanded borderline information much and migration betterment less.”

But helium conceded that helium could beryllium proven wrong: “If determination is immoderate 1 idiosyncratic successful Washington that could marque that woody happen, it would beryllium Alex Padilla.”

And for Padilla, it's the precise crushed helium entered authorities successful the archetypal place.

When helium graduated successful 1994 with an engineering grade from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it was a imagination fulfilled for his parents — his begetter a abbreviated bid navigator and his parent a location cleaner. But helium was soon drawn into authorities arsenic the state’s attraction turned to Proposition 187, a 1994 ballot measurement that was approved to contradict education, wellness attraction and different non-emergency services to immigrants who entered the state illegally.

It was branded by supporters arsenic the Save Our State Initiative. Padilla inactive remembers the ads for the campaign.

“Trying to effort to blasted a downward system connected the hardest moving radical that I cognize was violative and an outrage,” helium said.

Now helium sees parallels betwixt California successful the 1990s, which approved the ballot measurement but past had it invalidated successful national court, and the wider state today: changing demographics, economical uncertainty and governmental opportunists “scapegoating” immigrants.

Yet it besides spurred the state’s Latinos to get progressive politically. To Padilla, there's nary coincidence that California, the authorities with the astir immigrants, present boasts the nation's largest system and is simply a stronghold for Democrats.

One of Padilla’s archetypal jobs successful authorities was managing the authorities assembly run for Cárdenas, who is astir a decennary older than Padilla and grew up a fewer blocks from him successful Pacoima, a vicinity successful the San Fernando Valley.

The run started arsenic an improbable bid for 2 governmental neophytes trying to get the country to elite a Latino for the archetypal time. Cárdenas remembered Padilla moving truthful hard connected the run way that helium fell dormant lasting up arsenic they debriefed 1 night.

“We were virtually laughed retired of people’s offices astatine the time,” Padilla said. Still, Cárdenas won.

Padilla went connected to enactment for the precocious Sen. Dianne Feinstein and negociate different section campaigns until helium ran for Los Angeles City Council astatine the property of 26. Padilla roseate rapidly successful the council, becoming its president astatine the property of 28. And for 2 days pursuing the Sept. 11, 2001, violent attacks, Padilla oversaw the exigency effect portion then-Mayor James Hahn was stranded crossed the state successful Washington. Padilla gave interviews successful some English and Spanish to reassure the city’s population.

But earlier helium was elected to his archetypal office, helium faced skepticism astir his age. Cárdenas said his bid for the assembly spot lone took disconnected erstwhile Padilla closed a statement by invoking a operation often utilized successful the hardscrabble assemblage of the San Fernando Valley: “No te rajes.” Don’t springiness up.