On the Texas border, deportations push voters toward change in the midterms

Say ICE tactics have gone too far

64 %

A poll by the ACLU of Texas found 64 per cent of respondents in the Rio Grande Valley say ICE tactics have gone too far. Only 34 per cent say local and state enforcement made their communities safer.

Trump won Hidalgo County with 51 per cent in 2024, after losing it by 17 points in 2020. Polls now show Democrats leading in two Valley congressional races.

A report estimates the region has lost US$180.6 million in economic activity because of the administration's immigration policies. Some voters who backed Trump on border policy say enforcement at home soured their view.

Midterms can offer only incremental change. Democratic control of the House would at best block new enforcement funding and open investigations.