Republicans Navigate Immigration Backlash in South Texas
The fallout from President Donald Trump’s immigration policies is presenting a challenging dilemma for vulnerable Republicans, pushing them to recalibrate their messaging to appease disgruntled Hispanic voters, or face the risk of losing critical battleground seats.
This is especially true for Republicans in South Texas, who have historically adopted a hardline stance on immigration, successfully flipping traditionally blue districts in the process. Now, they find themselves in a precarious position.
Take Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz, who represents a district with a majority-Hispanic population. She has transitioned from advocating for mass deportations to focusing on what she describes as the “worst of the worst.” Rather than pushing for expedited removals, she is now proposing the creation of new visa categories for undocumented workers to fill essential roles in construction and agriculture. Furthermore, instead of criticizing the Biden administration for its so-called “border failure,” she has requested private meetings at the Trump White House to advocate for a more measured approach to immigration enforcement.
Similarly, Rep. Tony Gonzales, whose district stretches along the U.S.-Mexico border, urges his party to engage more in conversations about border issues. He emphasizes the need to focus on deporting convicted criminals, even as widespread outrage mounts over the deportation of undocumented individuals who pose no proven threat to public safety.
These Republicans are attempting to gradually distance themselves from the sweeping immigration crackdown that has become a political liability for the GOP, all while avoiding any perception of disloyalty to Trump or contradicting their previous stances.
“President Trump made a promise, and he’s kept that promise by securing the border. That was stage one,” De La Cruz remarked in a recent interview. “Now we’re at stage two, which is engaging in a genuine conversation about immigration reform.”
The Republicans’ attempts to reshape the immigration narrative will test their ability to maintain, if not enhance, the gains Trump made with Hispanic voters in 2024—an outcome that will be crucial for the battle for congressional control come November. Polls have recently indicated that many Hispanic voters, disillusioned by the aggressive deportation policies of the Trump administration, are starting to turn away from the Republican president who previously garnered their support in significant numbers in 2024.
This trend does not go unnoticed by the White House. Following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by an immigration enforcement officer in Minneapolis, the administration has hinted at a willingness to scale back its deportation efforts. Border czar Tom Homan announced that the massive immigration surge in Minneapolis would soon come to an end.
The shift in Latino voter sentiment toward Trump was nothing short of a political earthquake, with South Texas at its epicenter.
De La Cruz’s district, spanning from the Rio Grande Valley on the U.S.-Mexico border to the San Antonio suburbs, had been represented by Democrats for a staggering 120 years until her victory in 2022. In 2024, Trump claimed an impressive 18-point victory in this district.
The 15th Congressional District was among those redrawn in last year’s Texas legislative redistricting, potentially providing De La Cruz with an even more favorable demographic mix. However, this strategy heavily relies on Hispanic voters remaining loyal to the GOP: nearly 80 percent of the district identifies as Hispanic or Latino. A shift back to the Democratic Party or a reluctance to vote could undermine the intended advantages of the new district map.
“With the border secure and Latinos reacting to ICE raids and government overreach, the districts that Republicans believed were their future just a year ago could very well lead to their undoing,” stated Mike Madrid, a Republican strategist critical of Trump. “It’s hard to find another instance in the last 50 years where a political party has squandered such a generational opportunity.”
House Democrats are keenly eyeing De La Cruz’s district as a prime target this election cycle, eager to win back Latino voters. She will likely face either Bobby Pulido, a well-known Tejano music star recruited by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, or Ana Cuellar, an ER doctor with a strong fundraising background.
Local Republicans are beginning to express concern.
Daniel Garza, president of the LIBRE Initiative, a grassroots conservative organization based in South Texas, attributes “Biden’s border chaos” as a key factor in the recent success of Texas Republicans, including De La Cruz. However, he warns that veering toward a stricter immigration approach could alienate Hispanic voters who might otherwise support the GOP.
“We don’t need to be a nation that chooses between an ‘everybody-in’ or an ‘everybody-out’ strategy,” Garza commented. “I truly believe that the counties along the entire Texan border shifted to the right because of the border chaos. But this extreme ‘everybody-out’ approach is also causing some introspection.”
Furthermore, the immigration crackdown has wreaked havoc on the local business community. Greg LaMantia, a major beer wholesaler in the region, reported a downturn in sales due to the enforcement actions. “People who are legal are terrified of getting caught up in this mess and being deported,” LaMantia, who voted for Trump, lamented. “Sales have definitely declined because of it. It’s chaos.”
Daniel Guerrero, CEO of the McAllen-based South Texas Builders Association, echoed similar concerns, noting that increased ICE activity has disrupted the construction industry, causing significant delays. He described how ICE often follows concrete trucks to job sites, apprehending workers just as they begin to pour foundations, leaving behind incomplete structures.
“The sentiment is quite clear: nobody anticipated this level of enforcement,” said Guerrero, who supported Trump and De La Cruz in 2024. He reported that many Hispanic Trump supporters he knows are becoming disillusioned with the current administration, a sentiment echoed by recent polling data. A recent state Senate special election saw Latino voters play a pivotal role in flipping a traditionally red seat in Fort Worth, where Democrat Taylor Rehmet garnered about 80 percent of the Hispanic vote—a remarkable 26-point swing compared to Kamala Harris in 2024.
Many Republicans are now trying to shift the immigration narrative to emphasize that border crossings have decreased to historic lows under Trump—a strategy they hope will remind Hispanic voters of the reasons they should continue to support the GOP.
“The Hispanic population provides President Trump and Republicans with considerable leeway regarding how bad things were before and where we are now,” said Gonzales, whose predominantly Hispanic district lies along the border. “They have a lot of room for maneuver, if you will.”
De La Cruz successfully campaigned in 2024 on a platform of deportations and addressing what she described as the “worst border security crisis in our nation’s history.” She is now proposing a new visa category, H-2C, aimed at allowing employers in construction and hospitality to hire foreign workers. Additionally, she has introduced legislation to expand the H-2A visa category for seasonal agricultural workers.
In recent weeks, De La Cruz has taken constituents to meet with officials from the Labor Department, the White House, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, advocating for her proposals and encouraging the administration to reassess its approach to immigration enforcement.
“Resources are limited, and we want those limited resources focused on the worst of the worst—criminal immigrants who have entered the country,” De La Cruz stated. “We have legal immigrants in our district who hold work visas but are reluctant to seek employment due to the prevailing climate of fear surrounding current enforcement practices.”
However, De La Cruz’s shift in messaging has sparked skepticism among some industry leaders and frustration within her base, highlighting the political tightrope she must navigate as the November elections approach.
Guerrero, the construction nonprofit leader, expressed his discontent, sensing a degree of political opportunism in De La Cruz’s newfound focus on assisting his industry.
“People feel neglected because you didn’t show up until there was a crisis, and now you want to be involved?” Guerrero questioned. “It feels a bit too late, honestly.”
The MAGA base is also not entirely on board with the shift. Patricio County GOP Chair Rex Warner expressed his disapproval, stating that he believes De La Cruz has become too lenient regarding deportations. “I agree with some of her points, but very few,” he remarked.
