Testimonials from leaders and activists at CHIRLA and CARECEN highlighted the honesty, humility, and experience of the Latino candidate; they acknowledge that the New York-born billionaire seeks to “buy” power with his money. Steyer has invested millions in CoreCivic, a private immigrant detention company.
Immigrant rights activists have condemned the “false ads and lies” of billionaire Tom Steyer, who is utilizing misleading claims originally made by President Donald Trump—claims alleging that the then-Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Xavier Becerra, mishandled the reunification of thousands of immigrant families and unaccompanied minors.
These attacks come as Becerra has positioned himself as one of the top contenders heading into the June 2 primary election, holding 33% of the vote intention, just two percentage points behind Steyer. Steyer has already spent over $130 million, leading voters to believe he is attempting to “buy” the California governorship.
According to Angélica Salas, Chair of the Board of Directors of the CHIRLA Action Fund, Steyer’s advertisements recycle the misleading claims made by Trump—claims asserting that then-Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Xavier Becerra, mishandled the reunification of thousands of immigrant families and unaccompanied minors.
“It is deeply irresponsible for Tom Steyer and other gubernatorial candidates to recycle the same harmful and discredited arguments that Donald Trump used to attack Xavier Becerra’s work during his tenure as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden administration,” she said.
“Using Trump’s lies weaponizes the suffering of migrant children for the sake of political gain; it distorts the truth and undermines the real work that many undertook to dismantle the inhumane, hardline policies implemented by Donald Trump during his first term,” Salas stated.
“The truth is that Tom Steyer built the prisons; Trump filled them; and Becerra worked for years to dismantle them—and for decades to protect immigrant families and California’s most vulnerable residents,” the activist said.
“At a time when our communities need leadership grounded in facts, compassion, and accountability, Steyer’s political attacks echo the very rhetoric we have worked so hard to reject here in California.” emphasized Angelica Salas. “We demand that Tom Steyer put an end to the lies immediately.”
Trump—along with border czar Tom Homan and Republican lawmakers—has made misleading assertions and misrepresented government data ever since they began claiming that more than 300,000 unaccompanied children had gone “missing” during the Joe Biden administration.
They did so after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a report in August 2024 revealing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had failed to issue Notices to Appear in court to 291,000 children between fiscal year 2019 and May 2024.
Furthermore, 32,000 unaccompanied children failed to appear for their immigration court hearings between fiscal years 2019 and 2023.
It is worth noting that half of this period elapsed while Trump held the presidency. The report did not specify the number of children who missed their court hearings under each respective administration.
In early 2026, the Trump administration itself reported that those 300,000 unaccompanied minors were either of unknown whereabouts or had been released to unverified sponsors during the Biden administration. According to the DHS, by January 2026, the Trump administration had located more than 132,720 unaccompanied minors whose whereabouts had previously been untraceable.
In addition to Salas, Martha Arévalo—Executive Director of the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN)—and Sergio Rascón—President of Laborers’ International Union of America (LIUNA Local 300)—reaffirmed their support for Xavier Becerra, a Latino candidate for the governorship of California.
“Our support for Xavier Becerra as [a candidate for] governor is truly significant and represents real change,” Arévalo said. “It is ironic that the person now accusing Xavier Becerra—claiming that he was an instrument in the separation of families—is someone who profited at the expense of the cruelty, separation, and detention of these families.
Who is this ‘Steyer’ fellow? He has never been part of our community; he has never been an advocate for immigrants. On the contrary, Xavier Becerra is the son of immigrants. For him, this issue is personal. He understands the suffering of immigrant families.”
The activist recalled that, during the Trump administration, thousands of children were separated from their sponsors, their relatives, and their caregivers, enduring deplorable conditions in detention centers.
She added that when Becerra took the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services, they worked closely with his office and collaborated regularly to reunite detained children with their families and sponsors.
“The messages you see on television are pure lies.” “We worked—and have continued to work—with him [Becerra] throughout his various government roles to protect as many immigrant families as possible,” she added.
Steyer’s Investment in a Company That Detains Immigrants
Arévalo asserted that, as Latino leaders and voters, “we are smart enough not to be fooled by these lies propagated by someone who is an opportunist, who profited at the expense of our community’s suffering, and who parrots Trump’s lies.”
Indeed, Steyer—through Farallon Capital Management, the San Francisco-based hedge fund he co-founded and led for 26 years (until 2012)—invested heavily in Corrections Corporation of America (now known as CoreCivic), the country’s largest private prison company, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
As records show, the hedge fund acquired 53,100 shares of CCA—valued at approximately $1.89 million—during the first quarter of 2004. A year later, under Steyer’s leadership, Farallon increased its stake to 5.5 percent of CCA’s outstanding shares—totaling 2.27 million shares—valued at $90 million.
As of early 2026, CoreCivic—the company in which Steyer invested—detains more than 16,000 immigrants on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), representing an increase of 60 percent compared to figures from late 2025. The company operates 16 immigrant detention centers and has offered an additional 13,000 beds, signaling significant growth in its immigrant detention capacity, as reported by *The Appeal*.
“As Latino voters, we must ensure that we convey the truth to everyone: we were there,” …on the front lines of action, and we work shoulder to shoulder with Xavier Becerra to ensure the best possible protection for our families,” Arevalo added.
“Paying for Power”
Sergio Rascón, business manager for the Los Angeles-based Workers Union Local 300, said he was surprised by the “dirty war” playing out in commercials—one Democratic candidate attacking another from his own party.
“Steyer saw him as someone who is on the rise—someone who emerged immediately after Congressman [Eric] Swalwell stepped down.”
Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) resigned from Congress on April 14, 2026, following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and assault, including accusations made by a former staff member. He had previously withdrawn from the California gubernatorial race due to the scandal. His resignation came in the wake of an investigation by the House Ethics Committee and threats of expulsion.
“I’ve always wondered why a millionaire—or in this case, a billionaire—would seek a job as a public servant or community servant, when they already have everything,” the labor leader questioned. “The answer I was given is that the rich want to get richer, and they use the position to obtain other things.”
Rascón clarified that he was not in a position to accuse anyone, “but I still don’t understand why they get involved in something that isn’t easy—something where they don’t even know if they’ll be able to do the job right, or if they’ll be able to give the people what they deserve,” he said. “They should not be there. Yet, they pursue it; they spend a fortune to secure a job they do not need—aside from the power… If I were a millionaire, on the contrary, I would stay out of it. There are those who seek power simply because they can afford to pay for it.”
No Response to Immigration Investments
Some Latino leaders at the CHIRLA’s press conference said that Tom Steyer launched a “dirty campaign” of attacks against Xavier Becerra, who allegedly mishandled the reunification of thousands of immigrant families and unaccompanied minors.
“Journalists, fellow Democrats, and his cabinet peers have all gone on record saying Becerra failed migrant children as HHS secretary. With stakes this high, California families cannot afford to trust his leadership or someone who refuses to be accountable or take responsibility, especially when it comes to protecting our kids.” said Ariana Andrade from Steyer for Governor.
However, the Steyer campaign declined to comment on whether the billionaire candidate for Governor is “pretending to buy” power in California with his money.
Meanwhile, Steyer’s representative did not respond to a request for comment on instances in which Mr. Steyer invested millions through Farallon Capital Management in Corrections Corporation of America (now CoreCivic), the country’s largest private prison company, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Neither did they say anything about how Mr. Steyer would get the Latino voters once they discovered his investments in immigration.