U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) released the following statement after being named Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety for the 118th Congress. Padilla is the first Latino to serve as Chair of the Subcommittee.
“As the first Latino to serve as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety and as the proud son of immigrants, I am honored to continue the meaningful work the subcommittee has been doing,” said Senator Padilla. “I am committed to restoring humanity, dignity, and respect to the immigration process and working to modernize our outdated immigration system to meet needs of the 21st century. I look forward to working with my colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, to find common ground and advance legislation that will uphold our storied legacy as a nation of immigrants.”
The Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety has jurisdiction over a wide array of immigration issues, including: citizenship, border safety, refugee laws, and oversight of immigration functions in various departments. The departments include: Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Ombudsman Citizenship and Immigration Services (CISOMB), as well as the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of State (DOS), the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), and the Department of Labor (DOL).
Senator Padilla believes that our country is a nation of immigrants and has prioritized immigration reform since the day he was sworn in to the U.S. Senate. He knows firsthand the enormous contributions that immigrants make to our communities and economy. The first bill he introduced as a U.S. Senator, the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act, would create a pathway to citizenship for the immigrant essential workers who have bravely worked on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
