Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, told a group of Hispanic business leaders in Fort Worth that the country needs to fix its broken immigration system. His message: secure the border first, then bring in more workers.
Paxton spoke at a forum of the U.S. Hispanic Business Council (USHBC). He called for an “America First” immigration policy that benefits people already here, saying the U.S. needs to secure its border before allowing in more immigrants. He acknowledged that many business sectors in Texas need more immigrants to fill open jobs.
He pointed to ranchers, farmers, homebuilders, and construction firms that rely on immigrant labor. People are frustrated with repeated failed attempts to balance border security with immigration reform, Paxton said.
The Border Football
Paxton described the issue as “a political football.” He said President Trump offered an immigration deal that Democrats turned down as an election issue. He blamed former President Joe Biden for damaging border security and contributing to transnational criminal activity.
He quoted Biden’s first day in office announcement that nobody would be deported. He questioned why Biden would announce that unless he wanted cartels to know they didn’t have to worry about Border Patrol anymore.
What the Numbers Show
| Policy | Status |
|---|---|
| Title 42 | Federal court ruled first Trump administration’s policy unlawful |
| Title 42 end | Biden administration ended it in May 2023 |
Many undocumented immigrants entered the U.S. undetected during Biden’s administration. The vast majority of those encountering the U.S. Border Patrol during the first half of Biden’s term were sent back to Mexico.
The Business Case
Javier Palomarez, USHBC president, said immigrants make up a quarter of the Texan workforce. He said mass deportations and fear have disrupted cornerstone industries represented by the council. He noted business owners want a secure border and controlled immigrant influx.
Palomarez said administrations have failed to solve the issue.
Beyond Immigration
Paxton also discussed energy, inflation, and health care with Palomarez. He spoke of his family’s experience with the military health care system when his father served in the U.S. Air Force. He recounted a childhood eye injury that left his vision partially impaired. He said the experience gave him understanding of a government health system not designed to be efficient or effective.
Paxton’s Democratic opponent, state Rep. James Talarico, will address a USHBC forum in Edinburg on Wednesday.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs smaller government and less control over people’s lives and is against agencies writing their own authority or mandates on private life, whatever party holds them, so it backs the idea of decisions returning to citizens rather than gathering in one office or agency. Paxton’s remarks reflect that impulse. He wants border security handled at the federal level, not left to states or localities to work around, and he wants more workers brought in once the border is secured. That is a position the paper shares, even if Paxton’s framing of the immigration fight as a political football rests on disputed claims about past administrations.
The paper would prefer Paxton to focus on how the federal government can actually secure the border and streamline legal entry, rather than dwelling on past political fights. Readers should watch for whether Paxton’s proposals move beyond criticism of other parties and offer concrete steps the federal government could take on its own authority.
Key Facts
- Trump administration offers immigration deal Democrats reject as an election issue.
- Biden administration takes office; announces nobody will be deported.
- Court rules first Trump administration’s Title 42 policy unlawful.
- Biden administration ends Title 42 in May 2023.
- Many undocumented immigrants enter the U.S. undetected during Biden’s administration.
- Vast majority of encounters with Border Patrol sent back to Mexico during first half of Biden’s term.
The facts are reported straight.
Source material: “Ken Paxton calls for balancing border security with immigration reform to help labor-starved business sectors,” Houston Public Media.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.