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Democrat Senator Lashes Out As Others in His Party Inch Toward Sanity on Border Security

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  December 11, 2025 11:30 AM

A little-known Democratic Senator from California, Alex Padilla, blasted his own party this week, calling it “bullsh*t” that Democrats would cave to a Republican talking point — most notably, the idea of securing the border.

On Wednesday’s episode of the "Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know" podcast, Padilla accused Democrats of abandoning their longtime push to grant citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants and instead embracing the GOP’s call for stricter border security.

"Do you ever feel alienated in this fight by your own party?" Minhaj asked. "Because you're keeping the agenda on that path, and it feels like — and I've been watching a lot of the podcasts and TV appearances from some of your Democratic colleagues —they keep going towards the 'Secure the border. Secure the border. Secure the border.' Do you feel alienated by this?"

"I'm not going to lie," Padilla said. "At times, yes. But when I recognize that, that's my impetus. That's my motivation. That's my purpose in those moments. And calling it out like it is, right?

I'm not afraid to talk to Democrats and say, 'Hey, when it comes to issues like reproductive rights, we're all pro-choice. We don't budge. We don't negotiate.' You know, that's a given. Or when it comes to equality. Oh, we're Democrats. We're united. We don't budge. We don't negotiate. We don't waver on that. 

When it comes to voting rights, when it comes to labor rights, when we come to climate change is real, that's all firm. But when it comes to immigration, 'Oh well, I don't know. But see, in my state, you know, the polls say this.' Like, that's bullsh*t. That's bullsh*t.

Unfortunately for Sen. Padilla, about 60 percent of Americans back a secure border, meaning this is a fight his faction of the Democratic Party is highly unlikely to win. Democrats have two choices: they can double down on crazy like New York City mayoral-elect Zohran Mamdani, or they can retreat to sanity. And even more unfortunate for Padilla, he’s unlikely to stand out the way Mamdani does.

Sen. Padilla is perhaps best known for being physically removed from a room while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was holding a press conference. He had barged in and began loudly demanding answers. Democrats later accused the Trump administration of cruelty towards a sitting Senator, even though an unidentified man had just stormed into a room with a top administration official.