Talarico says he doesn't support abolishing ICE but criticizes their work under Trump as "secret police"
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico clarified his position on Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a Wednesday evening town hall in Fort Worth, stating he does not support abolishing the agency while condemning its current operations as resembling a "secret police force."
"No, and I never have," Talarico said when asked directly whether he supported abolishing ICE. "We need Immigration and Customs Enforcement in this country, but that's not what we're seeing. What we've seen over the last year is a secret police force, and that's what we don't want in this country. We don't want masked men in unmarked vehicles coming through and terrorizing our communities."
Background on the Senate Race
The former middle school teacher, who was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2018 at age 29, is running against Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a race that Democrats have not won since 1988. Talarico defeated U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett in the March Democratic primary with 52.4% of the vote, while Paxton secured the Republican nomination after defeating four-term incumbent Senator John Cornyn with 63.8% in the May runoff, aided by a late endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Recent polling shows the contest remains highly competitive, with Talarico holding a narrow lead of approximately 2-3 percentage points among likely voters in October surveys.
Distinguishing His Position on Immigration
Talarico's stance distinguishes him from some Texas Democrats who have called for more dramatic changes to immigration enforcement. Former Congressman Colin Allred, who lost to Senator Ted Cruz in 2024 and is now seeking a return to Congress in Texas's 33rd District, has called to abolish ICE and redistribute its responsibilities to agencies including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency, and Customs and Border Protection. Congressman Christian Menefee has similarly said ICE "needs to be torn down to the studs."
When asked to elaborate on his vision for ICE's role, a Talarico spokesperson referenced the candidate's remarks at the town hall and his "extensive prior comments on immigration." In previous statements, Talarico has advocated for reforming the agency's focus. "ICE should be cracking down on the cartels, not on our communities," he said during a July campaign stop. "ICE should be deporting gang members, not small business owners. ICE should be hunting down human traffickers, not moms and babies."
Citing the Death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo
During the CNN and Jubilee-hosted town hall, Talarico referenced the July killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot by an ICE agent in Houston. The 52-year-old construction contractor had lived in the United States for approximately 35 years, held a Texas driver's license since 1993, and had no criminal record in Harris County. He was not the target of the ICE operation on July 7; authorities had notified ICE about two other individuals traveling in a white van.
"Lorenzo Salgado [Araujo] was a child of God, endowed with infinite worth. Lorenzo, our fellow Texan, deserves justice. And that's exactly what I'll fight for in the U.S. Senate."
Talarico also criticized the Biden Administration, saying it "failed us" in securing the southern border, positioning himself as willing to break with his own party on key issues.
Paxton Declines to Participate
CNN said it had extended a town hall invitation to Paxton. The two candidates have not debated despite bipartisan pressure. Paxton, who has served as Texas Attorney General since 2015 after a decade in the Texas House and two years in the Texas Senate, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
On social media, Paxton criticized Talarico's record, arguing he "tried to dismantle the oil and gas industry and repeatedly tried to destroy the Texas economy" and "has spent his career embracing the most radical policies imaginable and voting for every tax increase he could."
Talarico Positions Himself as a Centrist
Talarico, who holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Harvard University, spent much of the town hall positioning himself as a centrist. He walked back previous provocative statements, including calling God "non-binary" and describing capitalism as an "oppressive system," saying he was a capitalist who opposed "crony capitalism."
"I will always do what's best for Texas, even if that means standing up to my own party. If the Democratic Party is going after the good-paying oil and gas jobs here in Texas, I'm going to stand up against them."
The Senate seat being contested was previously held by Cornyn for four terms. Democrats have not won a statewide election in Texas since 1994, making Talarico's bid to flip the seat a historic challenge for the party.
