Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
Alex Padilla, D-California, the son of Mexican immigrants, will become the first Latino to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration in the 117th Congress, whose priority will be to restore humanity, dignity and respect to the immigration process.
Senator Alex Padilla, first Latino on Senate Immigration Subcommittee said: "As a proud son of immigrants from Mexico, I am honored to be the first Latino to serve as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Security," said Senator Padilla.
The official noted that while no state has more at stake in immigration policy than California, the entire nation will benefit from thoughtful immigration reform.
"I am committed to bringing the urgency to immigration reform that this moment demands and that millions of hardworking immigrants have earned. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to restore dignity and humanity to our immigration policies and respectfully defend America's legacy as a nation of immigrants," he added.
Padilla plans to address the pressing needs of immigrant communities in California and across the country, particularly the essential workers who have been on the front lines of the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
That, he said, includes everything from reuniting families and fixing the asylum system to streamlining the legal immigration process and creating a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the country.
The subcommittee has jurisdiction over a wide range of immigration issues, including citizenship, border security, refugee law, and oversight of immigration functions in various departments.
The departments include: Department of Homeland Security ?DHS, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ?USCISU.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CISOMB).
As well as the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of State (DOS), and the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and the Department of Labor (DOL).
