Rep. Nanette Barragán visited Cal State Dominguez Hills on Sept. 30 for a youth town hall, during which she discussed college affordability, artificial intelligence and data centers, and U.S. immigration policy.
The event at the I&I Building began with remarks by interim CSUDH President Mary Ann Villarreal, who highlighted the significance of Barragán’s visit.
Barragán, a democrat, was first elected to Congress in 2016—becoming the first Latina to represent the state’s 44th District. She faces Republican Genevieve Angel, a family nurse practitioner and small business owner, in the Nov. 3 general election.
Villareal said the town hall marked an “exciting opportunity” for students to engage directly with a sitting lawmaker, but voting is just one aspect of maintaining democracy.
“In the last few years, democracy feels like it’s hanging on a delicate balance,” Villarreal said. “But it’s not just voting, it’s being informed. It’s being educated about what’s happening—and today, right now, is a step in that process.”
Barragán blames GOP for economy, immigration policy
Barragán said she hoped the town hall would help people better understand how the government works. She quickly criticized Republicans over the nation’s economy, saying “people across the country” tell her “everything is too expensive.”
“My gas is too high. My housing is unaffordable. There’s a lot of corruption. We need to stop [President Donald Trump]. I can tell you that right now, the people in power are Republicans,” she said.
Because Republicans currently control the White House and Congress, she said Democrats are limited in their ability to challenge the Trump administration’s agenda. Barragán referred specifically to the administration’s immigration policies, saying she didn’t “have a lot of faith” in the Department of Homeland Security because “they lie—a lot.”
“I don’t have the power to arrest [President Trump] … I hear from people, they say, ‘Please, stop this from happening’,” Barragán said. “What I can do is vote on legislation to take away funding from ICE, but I cannot call somebody and say, ‘arrest that officer’—I can’t do that.”
Barragán encouraged attendees to contact her office with their concerns, including any issues with student loans, veterans affairs benefits, or social security payouts to their parents and relatives.
“If you have an issue or a problem and you’re not sure if we can handle it, call our office anyways and we can help direct you to the right person,” she said.
AI still up for debate in Congress, Barragán says
On the topic of the cost of living and higher education, Barragán referred to President Trump’s economic policies and the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. She questioned the idea that the U.S. cannot “afford free stuff,” saying the nation “can’t afford $2 billion in a war that’s not even our war.”
“That’s one of the reasons gas prices are so high,” Barragán explained. “When you’re going to buy sneakers and the price has gone up, it’s because of tariffs. The clothing, your back-to-school supplies—it’s all connected.”
Some attendees asked questions about education and the financial resources available to students pursuing graduate school. Barragán mentioned the 2025 College for All Act, a bill she said would make tuition more affordable—if not free—for working- and middle-class students.
According to CSUDH data, 66% of Toros receive federal Pell grants.
On employment and AI, Barragán noted the challenge of finding jobs after college and linked it to concerns about AI’s potential impact on employment. She said Congress is still weighing AI’s benefits and how to regulate the industry.
“I’ve had students tell me, ‘Stop AI,’ and I say, ‘You want me to stop Google? You want me to stop you having access to Google’?” she said. “There are a lot of positives in … but there’s also nefarious bad outcomes.”
Barragán to Toros: Have your voice heard
During the town hall, a third-year student, who said her friends regarded the 2024 election as “a joke,” In response, Barragán once again asked attendees to consider the current cost of living. She encouraged students to seek information beyond their social media algorithms to help combat misinformation and disinformation about the issues that matter to them.
Barragán also told students to organize, saying she’d be “happy” to participate in future town halls. “Sometimes it’s a little overwhelming—what’s happening today with all the madness and the chaos—but we have to stick together and power through it.”