During a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on immigration, Sen. Alex Padilla of California provoked a heated exchange by asking panelists whether they believed all immigrants are criminals. Tammy Nobles, the mother of 20-year-old Kayla Hamilton, who was murdered by an MS-13 gang member in 2022, responded by questioning the phrasing of the query. ‘Are you talking about legal immigrants or are you talking about regular immigrants?’ she challenged, suggesting the question was designed to trap the panelists into a biased stance. This moment underscored the growing tension between political rhetoric and personal experiences of those affected by immigration issues.
Nobles, whose daughter was killed by illegal immigrant and MS-13 gang member Walter Martinez in July 2022, criticized Padilla’s approach, arguing that the question sought to frame the discussion in a way that unfairly generalizes immigrants. ‘I think he was trying to get her trapped, and then I just jumped in and was like, What do you mean? Do you mean illegal immigrants that didn’t come the right way? Or do you mean legal immigrants who did it the right way?’ she said on Fox & Friends First. ‘I think he was trying to trap us into saying something that trips us up,’ she added.
Padilla, in turn, challenged the Trump administration’s narrative that its hardline stance on border security addressed issues exacerbated by the Biden administration. He argued that the administration’s approach was not solely responsible for the presence of dangerous individuals in the U.S., and pointed to an immigration official who affirmed the enforcement of immigration laws under Biden’s tenure. Meanwhile, other panelists, like Alejandro Barranco, a U.S. Marine veteran, spoke out against the treatment of undocumented immigrants, emphasizing that many contribute positively to the economy and society.
Nobles is now advocating for the Kayla Hamilton Act, introduced by South Carolina Republican Rep. Russell Fry, which aims to close loopholes in how the federal government handles unaccompanied minor children. The hearing highlighted the deepening divide over immigration policy, with personal stories clashing with political agendas as lawmakers and victims’ families seek to shape the future of U.S. border security and immigration reform.