Democratic Senator from California, Alex Padilla, lit the fuse during the 43rd Annual Conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (Naleo) in Los Angeles. With a speech that spared no one, he denounced that the administration of Donald Trump governs based on “fear and intimidation” against immigrant communities. “Many Latinos fear reporting crimes, seeking medical help, and living their lives,” Padilla fired.
The legislator pointed directly to the increased presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in cities. “There are people who don’t know if they will return home to their family at the end of the day,” he stated. To illustrate the horror, he mentioned the cases of Ruben Ray Martínez, Silverio Villegas González, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, and Joan Sebastian Guerrero, four people who died at the hands of federal immigration agents. Martínez, 23, was a U.S. citizen; Villegas González had just dropped his three children off at school; Salgado Araujo was on his way to work; and Guerrero, who had a work permit, may have been mistaken. “The victims of ICE terror are not just numbers; they are neighbors, friends, and family,” Padilla stressed.
But the senator went further: “This is not just about immigration.” He accused the Trump administration of trying to silence Latino political participation through manipulation of electoral maps, attacks on voting rights, and weakening trust in elections. “The same authorities that want to decide who can be American also intend to determine which voices count in elections,” he denounced.
Padilla did not stay silent even when he was thrown to the ground. He recalled the episode in which he was knocked down and handcuffed for trying to ask questions during a press conference by then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “Afterwards, I got up and kept going,” he said, and urged Latino leaders not to be intimidated. He described the growth of Latino political power as “MAGA’s worst nightmare” and called for not allowing fear to divide the community.
The senator also participated in a panel with Governor Gavin Newsom, moderated by Erica Bernal-Martinez, executive director of Naleo. There they addressed California’s priorities, the election of a new governor in November, and the state’s challenges. Padilla urged those present to “organize and mobilize” in the next 112 days, which he considered decisive not only for the elections but for the kind of country they will leave to their children and grandchildren.
“We inherited more political power than our previous generations, and we are not going to be the ones who allow Trump to turn us back,” he stated. With a message that combined denunciation, resistance, and a call to action, Padilla made it clear that the battle is just beginning.
jajaja padilla llorando como siempre trump les da miedo bien merecido lo tienen los ilegales vienen a robarnos el laburo y estos zurdos quieren votar operativos de ice ojala hubieran sido mas viva trump mueran los panchos aguante la patria
Para mí esto es clarísimo: Trump gobierna a los tiros y con el miedo, como siempre los yankis hijos de puta. Cuatro muertos de ICE y encima nos roban el voto con mapas truchos. ¡Basta de racismo! Alex Padilla es un crack, ojalá más tipos así. ¡Fuerza a los compas!