Dear Neighbor,

Happy Holidays! I hope everyone gets time to spend with their families, friends, and loved ones this holiday season. I wanted to update you on the work I've been doing at home in Los Angeles and in Washington for California's 44th District.

Great Turnout at Our Legislative Briefings in Long Beach and San Pedro

What a turnout at our End of Year Legislative Briefings at Bebe's Diner in Long Beach and Raffaelo Ristorante in San Pedro!

A huge thank you to everyone who came out to ask questions and learn more about my work in D.C. and in our community.

We spoke about our work in Congress to lower costs, improve access to healthcare, create solutions to help address the homelessness crisis, and to bring federal funds home to our communities.

If we didn’t get to your question, our team will reach out. If you still have questions, please call my office at 310-831-1799.

Rep. Barragan greets constituents in Long Beach at Bebe’s Diner

Rep. Barragan talks to San Pedro neighbors at Rafaello’s Restaurant. It was our first year hosting it at this local staple.

Standing with SEIU-UHW Workers

Last week, I met with one of the members of the SEIU-UHW bargaining team with Prime Healthcare to discuss their concerns about pay and work conditions at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood. Prime had walked away from the negotiating table before the holidays and SEIU-UHW was concerned about the impact the work conditions were having on patients and staff. Right after our meeting, the SEIU-UHW member found out that she had been fired, and so had four other members of the bargaining team.

I went to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood to stand with our workers and make clear that St. Francis needs to come to the table now to negotiate with the bargaining team in good faith. I attempted to meet with the CEO, or other senior hospital officials, alongside Lynwood Mayor José Solache and Councilmember Juan Muñoz-Guevara – we were denied entry to the hospital by a large security detail.

I will continue to fight for better conditions and pay for SEIU-UHW and better care for patients and our community.

Supporting Foreign Aid - But not at the Expense of Rushed and Poor Immigration Policy

The U.S. House of Representatives has not been able to vote on a supplemental aid package to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and humanitarian aid for those impacted by the Israeli/Gaza conflict, because Republicans are demanding rushed and poor immigration policy changes. Let me be clear, I support the foreign aid to our allies. I support funding that the White House and Democrats have asked for to help the migrant situation at the Southern Border that includes: more money for border coordinators to address capacity issues at the Southwest border; more money for immigration judges to speed up adjudication of immigration cases and the backlog; more money for border patrol and CBP agents; more money to combat human trafficking; more money to stop the flow of fentanyl from coming into this country; money for cities to provide shelter and services to migrants; and other related funding. But my colleagues across the aisle have said no. They will not fund those needs to address the problem. Instead, Republicans want Congress and the White House to approve cruel and rushed, sweeping immigration policy changes that would lead to mandatory detention and the need to create more private prisons; more deportations that could terrorize our communities; a return of a Title 42-like authority that made border crossing worse, not better; and an end the President’s parole authority that provides flexibility for more orderly migration.

The White House is doing all it can to secure the foreign aid, but unfortunately they have also expressed a willingness to trade the harsh permanent immigration policy changes for their foreign aid request. As a result, the White House is in negotiations with three U.S. Senators to try and strike a deal. There are serious concerns with these negotiations. Democrats and the White House should not negotiate drastic, permanent changes to our immigration and asylum system as part of an unrelated foreign aid bill – it sets a bad precedent. As the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I have led the effort to oppose these harmful policy changes. I believe it is a mistake to exchange foreign aid for unrelated border funding with harsh immigration policy changes that will not help the problem at the Southwest border. I also continue to be vocal about the lack of engagement or consultation with the CHC and its members. The CHC is the lead voice in Congress for Latino immigrants and comprehensive reform of our broken immigration system – but we have not even been given a seat at the table. I am concerned by the policies on the table and the willingness to give up so much - without any policies in return that would provide pathways to citizenship for DREAMERs, DACA recipients, or Farmworkers.

My last week in Washington, I held a press conference with Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Senator Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerry Nadler (NY-12), and other Congressional Hispanic Caucus Members to let Republicans, Senate Democrats, and the White House know that these policies should not be part of the foreign aid negotiations.

Since the press conference, I have also met with the White House about our concerns. I also continue to sound the alarm bell in various news interview. Check out my interview on MSNBC's PoliticsNation with Reverend Al Sharpton to talk about the negotiations and my concerns.

2023 Year In Review

It's an honor every day to serve the vibrant and diverse communities that make up California's 44th District.

This year, our office worked hard to help constituents recovery thousands of dollars, respond to constituent letters and advocate for federal grants and funding for our communities.

Check out a bit of what we were able to accomplish for our communities. We can't wait to continue our work for you in 2024!