Who is Xavier Becerra? The politician with Mexican roots whose family arrived in California with 12 dollars

Following the midterm elections in the United States and the gubernatorial election in several states, California has just made history by voting for the first Latino governor since the 19th century, a man who boasts of a resilient migration story and having had only 12 dollars in his pocket.

Xavier Becerra was elected as the next governor of California by the Democrats.

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According to available reports, he will be the first Latino governor since the late 19th century after winning the election against Republican candidate Steve Hilton.

During his rallies and in the invitations he made for the primary elections last June, Becerra shared that his parents were Mexican-American migrants, and that they had arrived in the United States with only 12 dollars in search of better opportunities and a better life.

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“My parents arrived in this country with $12 in their pockets. We trusted that this state, more than any other place in America, would give our family a fair shot. California gave us everything. And throughout my career, I have committed myself to giving back (...) Today, I ask that you let me do that as governor,” he wrote on X.

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According to available reports regarding Becerra's origins, it is known that he and his father were born in Sacramento, California, while his mother was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco.

Born on January 26, 1958, in Sacramento, when Becerra was young, he moved temporarily to Tijuana, Mexico, where his father was raised, and returned to California as a teenager to settle in the state.

After graduating from Stanford University, Becerra married Dr. Carolina Reyes and they had three daughters, whom he raised in Los Angeles.

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Becerra in the eye of the storm over his Mexican origins

When he was a candidate for governor, Becerra was involved in a controversy alongside his Republican opponent, Steve Hilton, after the latter questioned his Mexican origins.

In several rallies, Hilton accused him of being a “smug, arrogant, and manipulative politician” and pointed out that he had falsified his family history to gain supporters and the Latino vote in the state since it was known that his father was American.

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According to Hilton’s claim, he and his family could truly be called migrants in the United States, since they come from London and Hungary. In response, Becerra's spokesperson revealed the politician's temporary move with his family to Tijuana and pointed out that it was a normal practice.

“Welcome to California, Steve Hilton, where people born in California often believe in other countries and return, sometimes decades later, to build a new life for themselves in the best place in the world,” noted spokesperson Jonathan Underland.

He added that the disparagement of his family history and the attacks on Latino migrants were related to the racism promoted by Donald Trump and his MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement.

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