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RandySF

(82,441 posts)
Mon Feb 16, 2026, 01:23 AM 4 hrs ago

In South Texas, the GOP immigration hard line is now political kryptonite

Backlash to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown is putting vulnerable Republicans in a tough spot, forcing them to shift their tone to appease frustrated Hispanic voters — or risk losing key battleground seats.

It’s a delicate pivot for Republicans in South Texas, who spent years taking a hardline approach on immigration and flipped historically blue districts in the process.

Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz, representing a majority-Hispanic district, has gone from calling for mass deportations to focusing on the “worst of the worst.” In lieu of expediting removals, she wants to create new visa categories for undocumented workers to fill jobs in construction and agriculture. And instead of slamming the Biden White House for its “border failure,” she’s setting up private meetings at the Trump White House to plead for temperance in immigration enforcement.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, whose district shares hundreds of miles with Mexico, wants his party to talk more about the border, and said he plans to “continue to advocate that the Republican Party needs to focus on convicted criminal illegal aliens” amid broad outrage over deportations of undocumented people with no proven risk to public safety.




https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/15/south-texas-latino-republicans-immigration-00782129

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In South Texas, the GOP immigration hard line is now political kryptonite (Original Post) RandySF 4 hrs ago OP
The Politico article is well written and well worth reading. Thanks for posting, my dear RandySF! ...n/t CaliforniaPeggy 4 hrs ago #1
They should be bashed every day Old Crank 4 hrs ago #2

CaliforniaPeggy

(156,390 posts)
1. The Politico article is well written and well worth reading. Thanks for posting, my dear RandySF! ...n/t
Mon Feb 16, 2026, 01:32 AM
4 hrs ago

Old Crank

(6,794 posts)
2. They should be bashed every day
Mon Feb 16, 2026, 01:42 AM
4 hrs ago

With their suck up to Trump and full throated support of the suppression of their constituents.

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