Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) has introduced a bill, the "Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929," which would allow illegal immigrants who have continuously lived in the United States for at least seven years with no criminal convictions to apply for permanent resident status.
Democrat Senator Alex Padilla to introduce new legislation to make illegals into citizens if they live in the US for more than 7 years.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 28, 2025
He says Trump has gone "too far, even for his supporters" because he is removing criminal illegal aliens from our country.
This was the plan… pic.twitter.com/RMz4ZvQH9J
In a press release for the bill, Senator Padilla wrote:
Americans know there's a better path forward than the Trump Administration's cruel scapegoating of hardworking immigrants and fearmongering of California communities. We believe that if you've lived here for over seven years, paid taxes for years, contributed to your community for years, and you don't have a criminal record, then you deserve a pathway to legalization.
Despite floating short-term work permits for illegal immigrants in farming and hospitality earlier this month, President Trump quickly made clear that full amnesty is off the table. The White House's hard line on deportations and border enforcement hasn’t changed, and with Republicans' control of Congress, the bill has little chance of survival.
Senator Padilla is focused on the wrong issue and seeks to reward those who entered the country illegally.
According to a 2024 Cato Institute report, only about 3 percent of all green card applicants actually receive permanent resident status each year due to massive backlogs of nearly 35 million pending cases and a legal cap of around 1.1 million green cards annually. These long waits, caused by outdated laws and per-country limits, mean most applicants remain stuck in the system for years or even decades.
If Senator Padilla wants to tackle immigration reform, he might want to look into bolstering the legal immigration process, instead of encouraging illegal immigration and then trying to provide amnesty afterwards.