Talarico vs. Paxton / Issues / Immigration & border
Where do Talarico and Paxton stand on immigration and the border?
Short answer
James Talarico wants a federal fix that pairs strict border screening with legal paths to citizenship, more drug detection at ports of entry, and an ICE focused on criminals, gang members and traffickers. Ken Paxton backs President Trump's border agenda, state-level enforcement under Senate Bill 4, and finishing the border wall.
Side by side
Talarico
Paxton
Approach
Comprehensive federal reform: “a lock on the door and a welcome mat out front.”
State enforcement plus Trump's federal agenda.
Border security
Strict screening; more resources at ports of entry to catch drugs. Wrote a bill for advanced X-ray inspections at the border.
Help complete the border wall; secure the border before admitting more immigrants.
Deportations / ICE
Overhaul ICE so agents prioritize criminals, gang members and human traffickers.
Deport “criminal illegal aliens,” per his campaign site.
Legal immigration
More legal pathways and more ways for current residents to become citizens.
Open to work programs, but only for legal entrants and only once the border is secure.
Record
Voted against SB 4 and against HB 7, which created a state border unit.
Sued the Biden administration repeatedly, including over cutting Texas razor wire and access to Shelby Park; championed SB 4. Endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council.
Side-by-side drawn from the sources listed below.
Key facts
- Paxton also won a lawsuit, alongside the U.S. Justice Department, against the Texas Dream Act, which gave in-state tuition to some undocumented students. The Daily Texan
- Among voters focused on immigration, Paxton leads by 20 points in the Fox News poll. Fox News