While Texas Democrat Senate nominee James Talarico claims to be a “border security” Democrat, he once called illegal immigrants “undocumented Americans.”
Talarico used the euphemism in a 2020 media appearance unearthed by The Daily Wire in which he claimed that enforcing immigration laws during COVID was an example of America’s commitment to the “oppression of undocumented Americans.” The term “undocumented Americans” has drawn scrutiny from an immigration expert who says it blurs the line between American citizens and foreign nationals.
“The fact that our federal government in the middle of a global pandemic is still committed to ICE raids, that the Department of Homeland Security is still committed to kidnapping and imprisoning children here in our own state in a Hampton Inn in the middle of this kind of national emergency, just shows the commitment that we have to the to the oppression of undocumented Americans,” Talarico said in a discussion hosted by the leftist voter group Texas Rising in September 2020.
The resurfaced comments come after Talarico said that he stood for the protection of “our border communities” during a Wednesday CNN town hall. His current border security pitch contrasts with his past use of “undocumented Americans,” a term that has been used by Democrats to downplay illegal immigration.
Andrew Arthur, a legal expert with the Center for Immigration Studies, told The Daily Wire that the term “blurs the crucial line between citizenship and alienage and insults lawful permanent aliens (‘green card’ holders) who played by the rules and came to this country legally — ideally so they can naturalize and become ‘American citizens’ themselves.”
He also said framing the debate around “documentation” minimizes the issue.
“A ‘document’ of lawful admission is not just a card or a piece of paper: it’s a promise to play by our rules, conform with our values, and respect our sovereignty,” Arthur told The Daily Wire. “Entering illegally is an affront to all three.”
Talarico’s use of the phrase was not limited to his discussion with Texas Rising. In a July 2019 thread on social media, he accused the Trump administration of “conducting raids to deport thousands of undocumented Americans.” He defined the term as “folks who work in our businesses, learn in our schools, and contribute to our communities — but lack citizenship documentation” and described them as “my constituents.”
Later during the Texas Rising discussion, Talarico said the “health” of illegal immigrant communities directly impacts American communities.
“I think what’s happening with a virus that does not respect political boundaries, that doesn’t respect documentation, doesn’t respect nationalities. What we’re seeing is that, and what many of the folks on this call have always known, which is that the health of our undocumented communities is the health of documented communities,” Talarico said.
His current campaign messaging strikes a different tone. In an ad released earlier this month, Talarico said that he “called out Joe Biden for failing us on the border.” He echoed that claim during the CNN town hall on Wednesday.
“I’m going to call out Democrats like Joe Biden who failed us on our southern border because we need border security here in Texas. We need to protect our border communities,” he said.
But in July 2023, Talarico attacked Biden for not doing enough to confront Texas Republicans over actions they took to secure the border, not for his lax border policies.
“I hope Joe Biden will do the right thing and act on behalf of everyone in the state and around the country who’s horrified at what they’re seeing on our southern border,” he said. “So I think Joe Biden, his administration, federal lawmakers have a moral responsibility to step in and prevent these human rights abuses that are happening in our name.”
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