Back in June, California Senator Alex Padilla was one of the most high-profile Democrats to speak against the Biden administration's immigration crackdown, claiming it would "fail to address the challenges at our border just as it did under the Trump administration." But it appears that he has changed his view somewhat now that Kamala Harris has officially taken over the Democratic nomination.
On Tuesday, during an Axios House event coinciding with the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Padilla touted Harris' immigration plan as a "holistic, thoughtful approach", also making a point to praise second immigration-related executive order that paved the way for undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens to find their own citizenship.
Padilla, who became the first Latino to represent California in the Senate when he filled Harris' vacated seat in 2020, acknowledged the vice president's role in engaging Central and South American countries to address the root causes of migration, labeling it as "pivotal".
He then when on to highlight Harris's commitment to comprehensive immigration reform:
"She said it as a candidate for president, and she's saying it now: We can't forget Dreamers, farmworkers, other long-term undocumented immigrants. That's the holistic, thoughtful approach to immigration that we're going to build on when she wins."
When asked about his past criticism of Biden's executive order, he pointed out that his position back in June "was based on the merits, the legality or constitutionality of changing the asylum system", explaining his position against "an enforcement-only, punitive approach."
He did however express conformity with the second executive order signed by Biden that same month, which created a more accessible path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens. "That's what I'm talking about: a more balanced, more comprehensive, more thoughtful approach," he concluded.
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