Alex Padilla says illegal immigrants are long-term residents who just ‘happen to be undocumented’

Democrat California Sen. Alex Padilla said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that illegal migrants in the U.S. are simply “long-term residents” who “happen to be undocumented.”

As President Donald Trump’s second administration attempts to fulfill his campaign promise of locking down the border and conducting mass deportations, illegal crossings have dropped to record lows. Highlighting Padilla’s opposition to Trump’s efforts, NBC’s Kristen Welker asked the senator if he would give Trump “credit” for the “record low crossings at the border.”

“Look, we should debate how the reduction in crossings has come about,” Padilla said. “But I think most importantly, let’s look at the different pieces of what the immigration system looks like. Border security, everybody agrees we need an orderly, humane border. There’s an element of people wanting to come to the United States, and how those programs need to be modernized and updated.”

“My focus has been on the people who have been here,” Padilla added. “Millions of long-term residents of the United States who happen to be undocumented that have been the target of this administration’s increasingly aggressive and cruel arrest, detention, and deportation policies. If, and this is important to emphasize, they were truly only going after the dangerous violent criminals they so often talk about, there would be no debate, there would be no discussion.”

Under the Biden-Harris administration, millions of illegal migrants crossed through the U.S.’s open borders, fueling a nationwide crisis. Sanctuary cities like New York City and Denver became overrun, with housing and service costs skyrocketing as a result.

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“But the vast majority of the people they’re arresting, detaining, and even deporting, many without due process, do not have those criminal violent convictions on their records,” Padilla continued. “They’re actually people who are critical to our economy.”

Effects from the border crisis included a rise in drug trafficking, the brutal deaths of a handful of Americans like 22-year-old Laken Riley, and an estimated 300,000 missing migrant children, many believed to have been trafficked for sex and labor.

As part of Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) prioritized arresting public safety threats — those with records including rapists, child predators, and gang members. However, border czar Tom Homan repeatedly emphasized that DHS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) wouldn’t limit arrests to criminals but would also target all who have entered the U.S. illegally.

Shortly after Trump won the November 2024 election, the Los Angeles City Council approved an ordinance officially declaring itself a “sanctuary city.” But by June, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit, arguing the move violated the supremacy clause of the Constitution and obstructed ICE operations.

That same month, downtown Los Angeles experienced mass riots and protests in response to the Trump administration’s ramped-up immigration raids. Despite pushback from Democrats like Padilla and Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the protests escalated into vandalism, looting, and car fires — costing the city millions.

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