Juan Vargas moved to the United States from Mexico. He attended the University of San Juan on scholarship, graduated Magna Cum Laude, and received his BA in political science. He then earned a Master of Humanities from Fordham University and a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School. He then worked with an associate attorney and then became a public official.

Juan Vargas was elected to the San Diego City Council in 1993, and the US Congress in 2012.