Texas GOP Mayor Warns Republicans Could Lose Latino Districts Over Trump Immigration Crackdown
A Republican mayor on the U.S.–Mexico border is warning his own party about potential election fallout tied to immigration policy.
Javier Villalobos, the GOP mayor of McAllen, Texas, said enthusiasm among Latino voters for Republicans appears to be fading, according to reporting from the Washington Post.
The warning comes after Democrats saw strong turnout in Texas primary elections across heavily Latino regions, a development that has raised concern among Republican strategists watching shifting voter sentiment.
Villalobos said some Latino voters — including members of his own family who supported Donald Trump in the 2024 election — now believe the administration’s immigration crackdown has gone too far.
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“The excitement there was with the Hispanic community and the Republican Party is kind of waning,” Villalobos said.
The mayor warned the political shift could affect newly redrawn Texas districts that Republicans hoped would expand their congressional majority.
Under the current map, Republicans were targeting up to five additional seats, but four of those districts contain majority-Latino populations.
Villalobos said the changing mood among voters could put those gains at risk and potentially flip some districts.
He warned Republicans could lose “one or two” of the majority-Latino districts if current trends continue.
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Republican strategists say the picture is not settled and caution that strong Democratic primary turnout does not necessarily translate into general election victories.
Still, the concerns underscore how immigration policy remains one of the most politically sensitive issues in border communities where economic ties, workforce needs, and enforcement debates intersect.
The outcome could help determine whether the GOP maintains recent gains with Latino voters or sees them erode ahead of upcoming elections.
For now, the warning from a Republican mayor on the border suggests the political realignment many strategists expected may be more fragile than it appeared.
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