53% of Rio Grande Valley Voters Say Immigration Enforcement Makes Life Harder
New polling data suggests aggressive immigration tactics were a primary driver in the Texas Republican defeat on Tuesday.
By Renata Mehta ·
A new poll indicates that 53% of residents in the Rio Grande Valley believe state and local immigration enforcement makes life harder without improving safety. This figure from the American Civil Liberties Union helps explain the historic defeat suffered by Texas Republicans in the general election held Tuesday.
Outgoing Comptroller Don Huffines blamed his own leadership team for the loss. During his concession speech, Huffines said voters were tired of Republicans being in office. He noted that the party campaigned on lowering property taxes but failed to deliver on that promise over the last decade. Huffines added that the party did not care about voters and often mocked them.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick shifted the blame to President Donald Trump. Patrick said in a statement that he respected how people voted on issues like affordability, gas prices, and data centers. He accepted the majority will of voters despite the party's losses. Trump campaigned in Texas four times before the election to support Republican candidates, including U.S. Senate hopeful Ken Paxton.
President Trump blamed Fox News for the defeat. In a Truth Social post near midnight, he said the network bears responsibility for putting on the opposing party too often. Trump also called the network to criticize its polling. Anchor Bret Baier responded that the election results were close to what Fox polls had shown. The president’s average approval rating remained below 40% during the campaign.
University of Texas at San Antonio political scientist Jon Taylor said the data implicates both federal policies and state officials. Taylor noted that the Trump brand has become toxic to voters. He described Republicans linked to that brand as collateral damage in this cycle.
More than two dozen Texas counties that voted Republican in the 2024 presidential election switched to Democrats this time. The most dramatic shifts occurred in South Texas. Starr, Zapata, and Webb counties showed major changes in their voting patterns according to the Houston Chronicle. The ACLU stated that Latino voters were heavily impacted by state immigration policies.
Osvaldo Grimaldo, the ACLU’s immigration policy strategist, said voters sent a clear message to Texas leaders. He urged state officials to remove ICE from their communities. The organization’s poll in El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley showed 63% of respondents believed ICE had gone too far. These results signal a shift in how border communities view state enforcement actions.
