In The News
Members of Congress ask Trump to stop deporting Nicaraguan dissidents
Seven members of Congress on Thursday wrote a letter to President Trump asking that the United States stop deporting Nicaraguan political dissidents who come to the country to seek asylum. The letter was a response to a Washington Post article published on Aug. 28 that detailed the expulsion of several such asylum seekers, who were not permitted to make asylum claims before being flown back to Nicaragua. “Your deportations of politically persecuted Nicaraguans run … Continue Reading
January 31, 2020
Elected Officials To Discuss USMCA And Tijuana River Pollution
Local elected representatives will gather Friday morning to discuss the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) agreement and how funding for the pact will impact pollution in the Tijuana River Valley. U.S. Reps. Mike Levin, D-Oceanside, Susan Davis, D-San Diego, Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, Scott Peters, D-San Diego, Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina and San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer will discuss the $300 million in the international agreement to fund the Border Water Infrastructure Project (BWIP) to … Continue Reading
September 24, 2019
San Diego delegation, candidates, break along party lines about impeachment inquiry
Members of the San Diego delegation began to embrace or reject the plan for a presidential impeachment inquiry along party lines. Democratic Reps. Juan Vargas and Mike Levin quickly issued statements following Pelosi’s announcement to express support for the inquiry, saying the probe is necessary to uphold the rule of law. “I called for an impeachment inquiry months ago, and now I believe more than ever that the House must formally launch impeachment proceedings against the President,” … Continue Reading
February 04, 2016
Bipartisan, for a moment: When prayer prevails over politics
Rep. Juan Vargas will be on the dais at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday morning as President Obama addresses what has become a must-attend event for many politicians. For the San Diego Democrat, though, it's so much more. The former Jesuit missionary has barely missed the weekly prayer meetings held by members of Congress since he was elected, and Vargas says he's excited to bring so many people together in prayer as co-chairman of the event. Occurring yearly since 1953, the … Continue Reading
September 18, 2015
Op-Ed: Here's How We Can Help Religious Minorities Persecuted by ISIS
Last year, for the first time in more than 2,000 years, there was no church service in Mosul after a radical Sunni Islamist terrorist group known as the Islamic State expanded its control into northwest Iraq. Christians living in their historic homeland in the Nineveh Plains were warned to either convert to Islam, pay a cumbersome tax or be executed. I watched in horror as more than 10,000 Iraqi Christians, Yezidis and other religious minorities packed their belongings and fled to … Continue Reading
September 14, 2015
Jesuit Ties to Pope Francis Provide Rep. Vargas With Insight
When Rep. Juan C. Vargas attends Pope Francis’ address to Congress next week, it won’t be his first time in the pontiff’s presence. The California Democrat arranged to meet briefly with the pope in August 2014 in Rome and a photo from their encounter serves as the background on Vargas' cell phone. The two men also share a deep bond: Vargas is a former member of the Society of Jesus, a Catholic order whose members include Francis. Five years in the order and decades of devotion to Jesuit … Continue Reading
August 04, 2015
House Confederate Flag Battle Not Over
After a long day fighting over the Confederate battle flag, it is unclear where the issue might flare up next for the House of Representatives. For the second time in less than a month, House Democrats on Thursday sought a floor vote for a resolution to ban Confederate flag imagery on House grounds. Like before, Republicans made sure it was sent to the House Administration Committee to go through “regular order,” rather than an up-or-down vote right then and there. It might stay there, … Continue Reading
March 28, 2015
Bill would help Christians in Iraq threatened by Islamic State
Two San Diego area congressmen are among the sponsors of a bill to rescue members of religious minorities threatened with violence by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria - possibly helping them join the large Middle Eastern immigrant community in eastern San Diego County. Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) and Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) are sponsoring HR1568, the Protecting Religious Minorities Persecuted by ISIS Act. The bill, introduced this week, has bipartisan support, including from Rep. … Continue Reading
March 27, 2015
Time for executive order to help persecuted Christians
San Diego’s Mark Arabo, a spokesman for the Iraqi Chaldean Christian community in America, is working to gather congressional support for HR 1568, the Protecting Religious Minorities Persecuted by ISIS Act. The badly needed legislation is intended to make it much easier for Christian groups in Iraq and Syria facing genocidal attacks from Islamic State to apply directly to the U.S. refugee admissions program. Arabo says he’s won promises of strong support from Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, and … Continue Reading
March 25, 2015
The worst refugee crisis since WWII: How America can help
Seventy years ago, as World War II came to a close, America took the lead in addressing the most urgent challenge of the conflict’s aftermath: finding homes and livelihoods for tens of millions of refugees and internally displaced persons. In addition to exercising global leadership in founding institutions like the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United States set a global example by accepting and integrating more than 1 million struggling or stateless … Continue Reading
January 26, 2014
Construction resumes on border project
Cross-border advocates got a major wish fulfilled last week when the San Ysidro Port of Entry renovation and expansion project officially received $226 million in federal funding. The three-phase, multi-year project aims to reduce congestion at the world’s busiest land border by modernizing the port with more inspection booths, better road connections and new administration facilities, U.S. border officials said. The $1.1 trillion spending bill approved by Congress earlier this month … Continue Reading
January 22, 2014
Bipartisan efforts key in moving border region forward
The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, along with congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle, came together on Dec. 23, 2013 to ask for one thing for Christmas: full funding for the next phase of the San Ysidro Land Port of Entry Renovation and Expansion Project in the fiscal year 2014 budget. As the chamber and many others outlined in support letters, the project plays an essential role in improving our supply chains, national security and economic growth for our region and for … Continue Reading
January 17, 2014
Op-Ed: A Win for Both Sides of the Border
Earlier this week, a project to improve the San Ysidro Port of Entry got a $200 million-plus boost, thanks to a new spending bill passed by Congress. This project will create jobs, grow our economy and reduce inefficiency — which is why it has been at the top of our personal priority lists, and was rated by the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and SANDAG as the most important project for our region. We need more like it happening around the country. Gone are the days when we could … Continue Reading
January 15, 2014
Congress Secures Funding For San Ysidro Border Project
Three San Diego congressional representatives announced Tuesday remaining funds for the San Ysidro Land Port of Entry infrastructure project have been secured. Congresswoman Susan Davis (CA-53), Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52), and Congressman Juan Vargas (CA-51) advocated in December for approval of the federal omnibus spending bill, which provides $226 million to complete the project at the world’s busiest international border land crossing. “Adding more lanes at the border crossing has … Continue Reading
January 14, 2014
Letter to the Editor: Region scores with border entry funding
Since coming to Congress, we’ve fought for a budget that invests in infrastructure necessary to support our economic recovery. Funding for the San Ysidro Port of Entry has been at the top of our list. The hours-long wait times at our broken border cost the region an estimated $7.2 billion in economic output and 62,000 jobs annually. We’ve been consistent, outspoken advocates at news conferences, in letters to Congress and President Obama, and via engagement with local leaders. This week, the … Continue Reading
January 03, 2013
Freshmen Class Members of the 113th United States Congress
The 113th United States Congress will begin on January 3, 2013. There are at least 12 new senators (3R, 8D, 1I) and 67 new representatives (29R, … Continue Reading