Sen. Alex Padilla during his all-Spanish response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union accused Republicans of wanting to “manipulate the elections” and mobilize Immigration and Customs Enforcement to “terrorize” Hispanic communities.
“Despite Trump’s lies, we know what we see with our own eyes,” the California Democrat said, before accusing “masked and armed agents” of “terrorizing our communities” and targeting people on the “color of their skin.”
People are also targeted by ICE for “speaking Spanish,” Padilla added.
Padilla accused federal immigration agents of “shooting cars with families inside,” and “placing people in detention centers without access to doctors, food, and drinking water.”
The “terrorizing” ICE operations Padilla described began last year in Los Angeles and has “since extended to corners across the country,” according to the senator.
The senator claimed election integrity is a Republican attempt to “manipulate” elections.
House Republicans passed the SAVE America Act this February, which would require voters to demonstrate voter ID before casting a ballot if passed by the Senate.
He added that Trump is pushing voter identification to “intimidate” Hispanic voters, describing him as a “dictator.”
“These are tactics we have seen in countries governed by corrupt dictators,” Padilla said. “And just like them, Trump doesn’t want to lose power.”
“Remember this, Donald Trump will not be president forever,” Padilla continued, switching to English.
