I'm in Washington, D.C., talking to Democratic members of Congress about what they can do to fight back against Trump's regressive anti-immigrant policies. If you were feeling hopeless before, well, the struggle is real. But thankfully, we have fighters like my friend and representative, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon. 

Rep. Simon represents my home district, California's 12th congressional district, which includes Berkeley, Oakland and much of the East Bay area. It is a district where more than two thirds of residents are people of color — where more than 150 different languages, including Tagalog, my native language can be heard.

As a young woman, Congresswoman Simon was caught up in the juvenile justice system. She was in and out of school. She was a teen mom. Now, against all odds, she's a member of Congress.

Although she is only in her first term, she's considered a rising star in the progressive wing of the party, where she serves as vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. After Trump's speech to Congress, Simon was chosen by the Working Families Party to give a progressive rebuttal. 

In this wide ranging interview, we talk about Rep. Simon’s longtime friend and mentor Kamala Harris and how the Democratic Party fell short on immigration last election cycle. We also discuss how decades of American imperialist policies have created the conditions that exacerbate migration, as well as what an alternative, positive vision of immigration policy could look like in this country.

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