When it comes to Congress’ role in developing the country’s immigration policy over the next few years, Rep. Derek Tran and former Cerritos Mayor Chuong Vo, the candidates for California’s 45th Congressional District, turn to their own families.
Tran, who is finishing up his first term in Congress, where he represents a district that includes Orange County’s Little Saigon, home to the largest Vietnamese population outside of that country, has often talked about being the son of refugees from Vietnam. His father, like many others, fled Vietnam by boat after the fall of Saigon, but the boat capsized, killing his wife and children. His father would remarry, and the two would successfully leave Vietnam and settle in the U.S. Tran was born and raised in Los Angeles County, according to his House bio.
Vo, a former police officer for nearly three decades, came to the U.S. from Vietnam as a refugee with his parents. On his campaign website, Vo noted that “like so many immigrant families, I’m grateful to a country that gave my family a chance, and I want to keep that promise alive for the next generation.”
Both candidates, when asked in a Southern California News Group questionnaire what immigration policy in the U.S. should look like in five years, pointed to their families’ experiences as refugees.
“I am a product of the American dream: My parents immigrated to this country to escape persecution and to get a chance at another life, a better one. And this country delivered for them. I believe that immigrants will always be a part of what makes this country great and should always be a part of our story,” said Tran, who resides in Orange.
“But our immigration system is badly in need of reform. We must provide a clear path to legal status for individuals who play by the rules and contribute to our communities. At the same time, we must hold ICE accountable to ensure immigration enforcement does not target and separate law-abiding families and is conducted humanely and strictly within the bounds of the law,” Tran added.
Vo, meanwhile, stressed his belief that a secure border is paramount.
Still, Vo said, “security has to be paired with a legal immigration system that actually works: shorter backlogs, real employer verification, and a process that rewards people who follow the rules instead of punishing them for waiting in line.”
“This issue is very personal to me. My family came here as refugees, and they did it legally after years of waiting in line. They built a life because they followed the rules, and this country kept its word,” Vo said.
“Compassion and the rule of law are not contradictory,” he continued. “Five years from now, I want an immigration system my parents would agree is fair. That means it must be more orderly, enforced, and fair to the people going through the process the right way.”
Vo, a Republican, does not support cuts to Medicare, the federal program for older adults.
Medicaid, though, should “stay a safety net for kids, people with disabilities and Americans who truly need it,” Vo said of the other federal program that provides healthcare to lower-income people regardless of age.
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“We also need to do a far better job rooting out fraud, which there is clearly a lot of,” Vo said. “The goal shouldn’t be spending more or less, success should be measured by better outcomes for Americans and transparency around every tax dollar we spend.”
On the other side, Tran, the Democratic incumbent, wants to expand access to affordable healthcare and restore cuts made to Medicaid services in President Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending bill passed last year. He touted his backing of a bill that he said would restore Medicaid funding and extend tax credits that helped reduce the cost of health insurance for those enrolled in the Affordable Care Act that expired at the beginning of this year when lawmakers could not reach a deal to extend them. (That bill has not made it through a committee, and does not have any Republican backing in the GOP-controlled House.)
“Federal funding is necessary to ensure that these services reach the people who need them,” Tran said. “Because of Republican cuts, vital community services are suffering. I’m focused on legislation that works to reverse the drastic cuts to affordable healthcare enacted in H.R.1 and bring down the cost of care wherever possible.”
The 45th Congressional District favors Democrats, particularly after voters passed the mid-cycle redistricting that changed the boundary lines for House seats last year. But Tran, then a political newcomer, won the seat in 2024 by defeating Republican incumbent Michelle Steel, who is now an ambassador to South Korea.
The 45th Congressional District includes Cerritos in L.A. County, as well as Buena Park, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove and Westminster in Orange County. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report considers the race to be “likely Democrat,” just one step away from the stronger ranking of “solid Democrat.”
Democrats account for 38.72% (174,874 people) of registered voters in the district, according to the latest statistics from the California secretary of state’s office. Republicans, meanwhile, account for 30.2% (136,404), and no party preference 25.22% (113,906).
In comparison, at this point in the 2024 election — albeit, remember that the congressional district’s boundary lines were a bit different then — Democrats accounted for 37.3% (166,293) of registered voters, Republicans for 33.02% (147,230) and no party preference 24% (106,979).
For more about these candidates’ — and others’ — views on data centers, immigration, surveillance technology and more, view their questionnaires on our voter guide.
Ballots have already been sent to every registered voter in California, and voting is underway. Election Day is Nov. 3.
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