Immigration

I’ve spent my career standing up for immigrant families—because I am one of them. As the son of Mexican immigrants who worked multiple jobs so their kids could have a shot at the American dream, I know firsthand the grit and sacrifice it takes to build a life here. I also know how terrifying ICE is to immigrant communities, which is why I have never voted for a standalone appropriations bill that funds ICE. I also recognize that our immigration system is broken and that we need a system that recognizes immigrants’ humanity, their contributions, and the simple truth that they are part of the American story.

Immigration Reform

I'm a proud supporter of the U.S. Citizenship Act (H.R. 3194), which will overhaul the American immigration system with a bold, inclusive, and humane framework for the future. This bill would provide millions of hardworking, undocumented immigrants with a pathway to earned citizenship, including DREAMers, Temporary Protective Status (TPS) recipients, and essential workers who have made enormous sacrifices during the pandemic; prioritize family reunification and keeping families together; and bolster the country’s long-term economic growth. The bill would also equip the country to address root causes of migration that force people to leave Central America and restore the U.S.’ commitment to human rights.

Earlier this year, I filed an amicus brief urging the Court to uphold the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of citizenship. I’m also a proud supporter of the Dream and Promise Act of 2025 (H.R. 1589), which would provide a clear path to citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients.

I am also leading the effort to reinstate the Citizenship and Assimilation (C&A) Grant Program, which supports organizations that help legal residents become U.S. citizens.

Immigrant Rights

I have also called on the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to immediately halt efforts to misuse confidential taxpayer data for immigration enforcement. Furthermore, I am a cosponsor of the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act (H.R. 1061), which codifies the long-standing policy of limiting immigration enforcement actions at sensitive locations such as healthcare facilities, schools, and other areas where essential services are provided.

In addition, I am a cosponsor of the No Secret Police Act (H.R. 4176), requiring law enforcement officers and agents of the Department of Homeland Security engaged in border security and immigration enforcement to display identification and prohibit the use of homemade, non-tactical masks.

I have previously voted for legislation to block construction of President Trump’s southern border wall. I also support prohibiting the federal government from separating families at or near U.S. borders except if a child is being trafficked or without their legal guardian.

ICE Oversight

I filed the first lawsuit by members of the House of Representatives against the Trump-Vance administration, challenging its unlawful obstruction of congressional oversight into federal immigration detention facilities, where both Americans and noncitizens have been detained without due process.

I made three separate oversight attempts to visit facilities in Los Angeles where migrants, including children, are reportedly being held in harsh or inhumane conditions. On each occasion, he was either denied entry or blocked by ICE and DHS officials: 

• June 7, 2025 – Denied entry to the Roybal Federal Building Detention Center during an oversight visit with fellow Members of Congress, despite federal law granting access.
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• June 9, 2025 – Returned to the Roybal facility and was again denied entry, even after presenting his official Congressional ID at the door.
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• June 17, 2025 – Despite providing advance notice and following all proper protocols, Congressman Gomez was once again blocked from entering the Roybal Detention Center, marking his third denied oversight attempt in less than two weeks.
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My oversight work on federal immigration agencies stretches my entire Congressional career. In September 2020, I traveled to the Irwin County Detention Center with my Hispanic Caucus colleagues to hear directly from women detainees who received nonconsensual medical treatments while in ICE custody. In response to claims of medical abuse, some of these women were deported or scheduled to be deported from the U.S. My colleagues and I wrote to the Trump administration demanding they stay these deportations, release all victims from ICE custody, and allow these women full access to federal investigators.

In December 2018, I traveled to the southern border and camped out for 15 hours overnight to hear from asylum seekers about their grueling journeys, understand their experience at our border, and investigate their interactions with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). Earlier this year, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) report indicated that then-Secretary Kirtsjen Nielsen lied to Congress about manufacturing capacity issues at the southern border, allowed CBP agents to improperly turn away asylum seekers. I have called on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate her for perjury.

Private Detention Centers

Since coming to Congress in 2017, I support prohibiting federal agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from using private, for-profit detention centers.