AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Minnesota has been the focus of immigration enforcement in the last few weeks. But for decades, Texas has been the epicenter for how the country addresses immigration. And as Texas gears up for its primary elections in less than a month, the debate over what immigration enforcement should look like is playing out in a big way in Texas' U.S. Senate race. Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom joins me now. Good morning.
BLAISE GAINEY, BYLINE: Good morning. Glad to be here.
RASCOE: So what are you seeing in Texas when it comes to political messaging on immigration enforcement?
GAINEY: Yeah. Well, like most political messaging, parties tend to relay and repeat what they are hearing from the top. For instance, here, Governor Greg Abbott has recently called for the Trump administration to recalibrate things when it comes to enforcement. And what he means by that is the White House needs to make sure respect for ICE is reinstilled and for them to recalibrate, to make sure they can continue deportation efforts without intervention from citizens. The wording on that is really important because he didn't condemn their actions. Rather, he said they essentially need people to give them respect.
This was carried into the race for Texas' U.S. Senate seat by incumbent Senator John Cornyn, who said he thinks it's a good idea to de-escalate, but then went on to say that American citizens should not continue to cross the line from peacefully protesting to interfering with law enforcement activity. So they haven't necessarily shifted their message, but more so made an adjustment to call for peace while deportation efforts continue. On the Democratic side of the Senate race, both Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and state Representative James Talarico have said they would abolish ICE if given the chance.
RASCOE: And how are Texans responding to this adjustment?
GAINEY: Yeah. Just last week, high school students across the state participated in a walkout over ICE's enforcement efforts. And there were also protests at the capitol building in Austin and other areas across the state. People are extremely upset and want to let it be known, and this is not fully a partisan issue. As we should remember, in 2024, Trump and the Republican Party as a whole got a lot of support from the Latino community for the promises they made on fixing the economy. Latinos say they haven't seen that and instead feel tricked by the fact deportation efforts haven't been solely centered on finding and removing hardened criminals.
RASCOE: So how are Latino voters responding to what they're seeing on immigration enforcement right now?
GAINEY: Yeah. I will say Latino voters are furious with the way immigration enforcement efforts have played out, not only in Minneapolis but around the country. I just spoke with Gloria Leal (ph), who lives in Austin, Texas.
GLORIA LEAL: The recent issues with ICE enforcement and immigration laws throughout the country have, I believe, persuaded Latinos that Trump has gone too far in his immigration enforcement efforts.
GAINEY: So as you can hear, it's having an impact. And as you see, they aren't forgetting the events that have taken place concerning ICE and Border Patrol over the past few years. And from everything I'm hearing, it doesn't seem like the Republican Party will have anything close to the support they had from Latinos last time around.
RASCOE: Well, if Latinos aren't likely to vote for Republicans in large numbers, does a Democrat really have a chance against the Republican nominee in the Senate race? And which Democratic candidate is better positioned to pick up those voters?
GAINEY: Listen. If I had a crystal ball, I promise I'd tell you exactly who, but it's up in the air right now. Both Democratic candidates, state Representative James Talarico and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, have very similar wants and priorities if elected. For voters, what is separating them from one another is their demeanor. I spoke with Gabriel Rosales, the Texas League of United Latin American Citizens director, and he explained why he's backing Crockett.
GABRIEL ROSALES: She's just got a very powerful mannerisms about her. She's no hold bars, and she gets in their face. I think we need people like that that are going to fight, right? They're going to fight for you. They're going to fight. They're not going to look at color or race or gender.
GAINEY: And as a reminder, Texas is still a red state, and no Democrat has won a statewide seat in three decades. So it'll be an uphill battle for the party, but they believe right now the energy and engagement is at a higher level than in the past, which is giving them hope that they can break the Republican streak.
RASCOE: That's Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom. Thank you so much for joining us.
GAINEY: Yeah. Thanks for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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