The estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States are “the backbone of the country” according to Rep. Lou Correa (CA-46). The three-term Democratic congressman made the declaration in a November 22, 2021 press release, in which he joined with democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) in demanding the U.S. Senate include a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants in any version of “Build Back Better.”
“Build Back Better” is the Biden Administration’s legislative centerpiece and entails a massive expansion of federal welfare entitlements and control over the energy sector, with an estimated price tag of $5 trillion.
“Undocumented immigrants have been the backbone of our country—from growing our crops, processing our food, taking care of our children, and looking after our elderly. Yet, they have seen their dreams of becoming citizens shattered again. Through our continued advocacy efforts, we are saying the time is now. The Senate must include a pathway to citizenship in the Build Back Better Act,” says Correa in the press release.
Correa was first elected to Congress in 2016, after having variously represented central Orange County in the state legislature and on the Board of Supervisors for nearly two decades. He has garnered a reputation as a moderate on business issues, and he is a frequent target of criticism by progressive Left activists. However, Correa’s track record on immigrations issues is more left-ward – a trend that has accelerated in recent years.
Correa public praising of illegal immigrants as the “backbone” of the country puts him closer to the political radicalism of AOC, the high-profile socialist firebrand with whom he is allying himself on immigration issues.
Ocasio-Cortez has called illegal immigration “integral to our communities,” has blasted Vice President Kamala Harris’ for urging migrants not to enter illegally, and supports the abuse of asylum system by illegal migrants seeking to circumvent normal immigration channels.
Correa has drawn at least one left-wing challenger: Mike Ortega, a self-described democratic socialist who is even further to the left on immigration. Ortega supports immediate amnesty, abolishing ICE and opposes what he terms the “criminalization” of illegal immigration.
Ortega faces a steep climb to be competitive with Correa in terms of fundraising, let alone matching Correa’s two-decades worth of name ID in central Orange County. As of September 30 (the most recent report available) Ortega had raised a little more than $20,000 and has only $8,279 cash-on-hand. By contrast, Correa has nearly $1.5 million cash-on-hand in his re-election committee.
Voter registration in the 46th Congressional District is strongly Democratic, and is expected to remain that way when redistricting is completed later this month.
