California Senator Alex Padilla, a longtime Democrat and progressive mouthpiece, just handed the Trump administration a political gift—and he did it all on camera.
In a video now making the rounds on social media, Padilla attempted to slam President Trump’s aggressive enforcement of immigration laws, specifically the administration’s ongoing mass deportation efforts. His goal was to highlight what he described as “empty” Los Angeles streets in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, warning viewers that local businesses were suffering because their “clientele”—many of whom he implied are illegal immigrants—are now too afraid to come out and eat.
But there was just one glaring problem: the streets didn’t look empty at all. In fact, viewers spotted plenty of cars on the roads and a conspicuous absence of what’s usually unavoidable in the area—homeless encampments, drugged-out vagrants, and sidewalk chaos. Rather than showing a city in crisis, Padilla’s footage looked like a rare Los Angeles miracle: clean streets, traffic moving smoothly, and no tents blocking the sidewalks.
Conservatives were quick to seize on the contradiction. Townhall.com posted the video with the perfect caption: “LOL: Democrat Senator Alex Padilla made a video about how Los Angeles’ streets are EMPTY now that President Trump’s mass deportations are underway. He just inadvertently made an ad FOR mass deportations!”
And they’re not wrong. Padilla’s footage unintentionally made the strongest case yet for law and order, showing what happens when immigration laws are enforced and chaos is removed from public spaces.
Instead of condemning Trump, Padilla revealed something California residents have been dreaming about for years—a peaceful Los Angeles not dominated by homeless encampments or paralyzed by gridlock. Katie Jerkovich of RedState noted the irony, pointing out that the senator’s own footage betrays his narrative. “As a longtime resident of the Golden State, these are only the kinds of things I could dream about seeing here,” she wrote. “He doesn’t even realize that the shots used in his video show beautiful, clean streets.”
Padilla then pivoted to urging Americans to “protest with their wallet” by supporting “immigrant-owned businesses,” noticeably omitting the term “legal.” That careful wordplay didn’t go unnoticed either. The distinction between legal and illegal immigration continues to be one of the biggest dividing lines in the national conversation, and Padilla’s failure to acknowledge it only fed the backlash.
Even more damning is the broader context. While Padilla grandstands, California is crumbling under Democratic rule. Governor Gavin Newsom’s failed “housing first” policies have turned cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco into crime-ridden, drug-infested, tent cities. Despite promises to end homelessness dating back to his days as San Francisco mayor, the problem has only grown. California now houses half of the nation’s homeless population, and the state can’t even account for the $24 billion it’s spent on the crisis.
Trump, by contrast, recently signed an executive order titled “ENDING CRIME AND DISORDER ON AMERICA’S STREETS.” The order goes after urban camping, loitering, and squatting, and aims to restore public order—something Padilla’s video ironically demonstrates as a reality in action.
By the end of Padilla’s misfire, one thing is clear: if a Democrat senator thinks showing an orderly Los Angeles is a winning message against Trump, he just reminded America exactly why Trump’s policies work—and why more voters are embracing them.
