U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and Congresswoman Luz Rivas were both raised in Pacoima and graduated from San Fernando High School. They both attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where Padilla studied mechanical engineering and Rivas studied electrical engineering. They now hold among the highest-ranking elected offices in the nation. They both released statements after President Donald Trump announced that Stephen Miller will be the next White House Chief of Staff.
In his statement, Padilla said:
“[Last week], Americans across the country loudly and clearly rejected Donald Trump’s agenda. Voters demand lower costs, an end to the chaos and a government that works for them. I know Trump heard them, but sadly and predictably, he’s choosing to double down, handing the keys of the West Wing to the man most responsible for this administration’s failures and most harmful policies.
“Stephen Miller is the architect of the cruelest immigration policies this country has seen in modern times: family separations, detainment of babies and children, militarized raids, arbitrary arrest quotas, and the horror unleashed in communities across the country. Californians have watched federal agents target their neighborhoods, terrorize families outside our schools and workplaces, and sow fear in communities across the state.
“Trump is doubling down – so will we. We will use every tool at our disposal – oversight, investigations, subpoenas and our leverage over federal funding – to expose this administration’s abuse of power and hold those responsible accountable.”
Rivas, who represents the Northeast San Fernando Valley, released the following statement:
“Stephen Miller is Trump’s architect of the cruel ICE raids that have torn apart communities, kidnapped our neighbors, and murdered innocent people.
“Over the past two years, under Stephen Miller’s direction, the Trump administration and its ICE thugs have made our communities less safe. I have heard from families across the San Fernando Valley that they are afraid to leave their homes in the fear of being cruelly separated from their loved ones. [Recently], horrifying videos of ICE agents chasing down and drawing guns on innocent people in North Hollywood circulated on social media – this is part of Stephen Miller’s and Trump’s plan to traumatize our communities.
“[Last] week, the American people sent a resounding message that they demand action to lower costs and get ICE out of our communities. Instead, the Trump administration is doubling down on its harmful, racist and anti-immigrant agenda that does nothing to address the affordability crisis that Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, and Republicans have created.
“Our communities will not be safe until Stephen Miller is fired and ICE is abolished.”