Juan Vargas

Juan Vargas represents California's 52nd Congressional District, which spans the entire U.S.-Mexico border in California including southern San Diego County and all of Imperial County. One of ten children born to Mexican immigrant farmworkers, he grew up on a chicken ranch in National City. After college, he joined the Jesuits and spent years serving orphaned children and displaced families in El Salvador during its civil war. He later attended Harvard Law School, where he was a classmate of Barack Obama. First elected to Congress in 2012 with over 70% of the vote, he is now serving his sixth term.

One of ten children of Tomas and Celina Vargas. Father immigrated from Mexico in the late 1940s through the Bracero Program, which brought millions of Mexican guest workers to the U.S. on agricultural labor contracts. Through the program, his father became a legal resident, and his mother later earned U.S. citizenship. Raised on a chicken ranch in National City, learning perseverance, integrity, and the value of giving back from his parents. Married to Adrienne D'Ascoli (fellow Fordham graduate), Vice President for University Relations and Development at San Diego State University. Two daughters: Rosa and Helena.