McAllen GOP Mayor Warns Latino Support “Waning” as Trump Immigration Policy Backfires
A Republican mayor on the Texas border is warning his own party that political fallout could be coming.
Javier Villalobos, the GOP mayor of McAllen, says enthusiasm among Latino voters for Republicans appears to be fading after immigration policies tied to President Donald Trump, according to reporting from the Washington Post.
The warning comes after strong Democratic turnout in Texas primary elections across heavily Latino regions, raising alarms among Republican strategists about shifting voter sentiment.
Villalobos said some Latino voters — including members of his own family — supported Trump in the 2024 election but now believe the administration’s immigration crackdown has gone too far.
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That shift could carry real consequences. Republicans were hoping to gain several seats through a new Texas redistricting map, but many of those districts rely heavily on Latino voters.
Villalobos warned Republicans could end up losing one or two of those majority-Latino districts if current trends continue.
Republican strategists insist the political landscape remains fluid, arguing that primary turnout alone does not determine general election outcomes.
But the comments highlight growing concern inside the GOP about whether recent immigration policies could reshape Latino voting patterns heading into upcoming elections.
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