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During a 2019 interview following a visit to border enforcement, James Talarico, candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, said he gauged the suitability of immigration detention facilities based on how he would treat his own family.
“I think I was struck by the conditions these folks were being held in,” Talarico said.
“When I first walked in, I looked at one of the security monitors and saw these things strewn around the floor, and I realized they were human beings being held in these tiny rooms. The standard I use is: would I allow my child, my parent, my grandparent to be held in one of these facilities? And the answer, after my visit, was a resounding no,” Talarico said.
His resurfaced comments continue to raise questions about his views on border policy as he looks to flip a Republican-held Senate seat in Texas.
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During his campaign, Talarico has drawn scrutiny for walking a tightrope between traditionally Democratic criticisms on President Donald Trump’s border enforcement measures and appearing too soft on border policy.
Like progressives in the party, Talarico has called on lawmakers to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has characterized voter ID requirements as a method to rig elections and, in the past, even criticized President Barack Obama’s record on immigration.
In one 2019 remark, Talarico famously called Obama the “deporter-in-chief.”
His past comments have left some observers believing his record makes the case for him.
“There is a very concerning pattern with James Talarico siding with pedophiles, criminal illegal aliens and cartels while slandering the brave men and women of law enforcement who keep Texans safe,” Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee (RNC), said in a statement, referring to detentions highlighted by the Department of Homeland Security.
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“Talarico is a true radical and fully committed to defunding the police, knocking down President Trump’s border wall and welcoming millions of illegal aliens into America,” Kraft added.
At the same time, Talarico has voiced concern about the government’s effective use of resources on the border and whether its investments are being reflected in its detention operations.
He raised the issue in the 2019 interview.
“How are we spending close to a billion dollars every year on border security when these border patrol agents told us firsthand they didn’t have the resources, basic logistical items that would help the situation better for them and for the people being held?” Talarico said.
Talarico argued that poor standards don’t speak to individual facility needs but rather reflect broader problems with immigration enforcement.
“This is not a matter of some bad apples at a Border Patrol station. This is a systemic problem that even the Border Patrol agents identified as something morally wrong and something that needed to be solved,” Talarico said in an interview.
“I believe this is a statewide problem; this is a stain on all of our reputations. It violates a lot of the values we have as Texans.”
Texas spent roughly $800 million on border security in 2019, according to the state’s legislative budget board.
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When pressed for more details about Talarico’s ideal detainment conditions a reality, his campaign pointed to his border security plan he recently unveiled.
“James supports stronger border security and safe, secure, and humane detention facilities. He’s the only candidate in this race to unveil a border security agenda endorsed by Republicans and Democrats that will add more border patrol agents and improve technology at the border to better detect threats. For too long, both parties have failed our border communities by grandstanding on the issue instead of finding real solutions. James is running for Senate to keep our country safe by deporting criminals instead of locking up moms, babies and small business owners who have been contributing to our economy for decades,” a campaign spokesperson said.
Having secured the Democratic nomination, Talarico will face Republican nominee Ken Paxton in the Nov. 3 general election.
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