The White House shift on immigration messaging is exposing the divides between Republicans worried about blowback from enforcement actions in their communities and hard-liners who want the administration to stay the course.
The infighting pits more vulnerable lawmakers worried about losing Hispanic votes in the midterms against MAGA-aligned Republicans who say immigration deportations are central to President Donald Trump’s agenda and his appeal. The outcome could have significant consequences ahead of an election where both chambers of Congress are in play and alienating any one block could hurt Republicans’ prospects.
The tensions surfaced this week as White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair privately urged House Republicans at their annual policy retreat in Florida this week, to stop using “mass deportations” when describing immigration enforcement operations. The threat of mass deportation has created widespread angst among Hispanics that they or their relatives could be targets for deportation. Instead, Blair urged members to campaign on deporting individuals who commit crimes and hammer Democrats as being soft on illegal immigration, according to two members in attendance.
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“We got a little hiccup with some of the Hispanic and Latino voters, for certain, because some of the immigration enforcement was viewed to be overzealous,” Johnson said.
But conservative groups and deportation advocates are warning the White House to continue the crackdown.
“The president ran on this in 2024. He promised mass deportations,” said Lora Ries, Director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center. “It’s no time for some in the White House to go wobbly, or those on the Hill. If Republicans want to maintain majorities, they need to act.”
Ira Mehlman, spokesperson at FAIR, a conservative nonprofit advocating for stricter immigration laws, said there’s a difference between changing rhetoric and switching policy, but added he wants to see deportations beyond those who commit violent crimes.
“It’s not just the worst of the worst,” Mehlman said. “Obviously, you prioritize the removal of the most dangerous criminals, but that doesn’t mean you turn a blind eye to everybody else.”
The Immigration Accountability Project, a conservative policy group that tracks lawmakers’ votes on immigration-related legislation, has conducted polling showing support for deportations among voters, including Hispanics.
“This isn’t an issue they should necessarily run away from,” said Chris Chmielenski, IAP President. “It’s an issue they should embrace. It was one of the president’s signature campaign promises.”
When asked about Trump’s Hispanic support, Allison Schuster, White House spokesperson, cited Trump’s economic agenda and efforts to lower taxes as beneficial for Hispanic Americans, as well as his “record level of support” from Hispanic voters in 2024.
Polling shows Trump’s support among Hispanic voters waning, after having made significant gains in the 2024 cycle. An Emerson College poll conducted at the end of February found Trump had a 58% disapproval rate among Hispanics, while 37% approve. It also comes on the heels of two shootings by federal immigration enforcement officials in Minneapolis that sparked bipartisan outrage and contributed to the ousting of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas), who is facing a tight race against Democrat Bobby Pulido, a Tejano music star, said she’s hopeful that with
“What I hear is that they do not want to go back to the chaos that happened under the Biden administration,” De La Cruz said. “President Trump has successfully secured our border. My community wants safe parks and a safe place to live, but they also want common sense enforcement policies.”
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“It’s encouraging to hear the administration’s talk about a course correction, but let’s be clear: messaging alone won’t fix a broken immigration system or reverse the damage caused by a year of indiscriminate deportations,” Salazar said in a statement.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Christian Martinez signaled the GOP would continue to attack on immigration and blamed Democrats for having an “out of touch” agenda that has hurt Hispanic Americans’ economic opportunities.
Democrats See Opportunity
Democrats see a chance to win back Hispanic voters, especially after strong Democratic turnout in Texas primaries earlier this month.
More than 4.4 million ballots were cast in the Texas primary election, which included a high-profile Senate contest where Democrats elected state Rep. James Talarico as their nominee. He will take on either GOP Sen. John Cornyn or Attorney General Ken Paxton in a May runoff.
Chuck Rocha, who served as an adviser to Talarico, said the campaign emphasized outreach to Spanish media to help galvanize Hispanic voters.
Rocha said Hispanic voters who supported Trump last time are now having buyer’s remorse.
“The Latino vote is the new soccer mom,” Rocha said. “That means they’re truly a swing vote.”
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is also continuing to pour money into Spanish-language ads and Hispanic voter outreach.
DCCC spokesperson Bridget Gonzalez said Republicans are “on a losing streak” with Hispanic voters because of healthcare cuts and the high cost of living.
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“The Hispanic community has felt taken for granted by Democrats, regardless of where they’ve lived in the country,” Garcia said. “So I see it as a great opportunity, but that means that we’ve got to give them a clear sense of what we commit to do when we’re in the majority.”
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