Congressman Juan Vargas was raised on a chicken ranch in National City, in California’s 51st District.  He is one of ten children, born to his parents, Tomas and Celina Vargas on March 7, 1961.  His father, Tomas, immigrated to the United States from Mexico in the late 1940s as part of the Bracero Program which brought millions of Mexican guest workers to the United States on short-term, primarily agricultural labor contracts, as part of a series of bi-lateral agreements between Mexico and the United States.  

Through the Bracero Program, Tomas became a legal resident and Juan’s mother, Celina, went on to earn her U.S. Citizenship.