U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat, said actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are hurting South Texas businesses and public school attendance and are driving higher voter engagement among Latinos ahead of the midterm elections. He spoke to the Rio Grande Guardian at the McAllen Performing Arts Center before a Get Out the Vote rally. He said ICE should focus on dangerous criminals.
Cuellar said that if Democrats win the House majority in November, he expects to chair the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. He said he plans to provide oversight of immigration enforcement agencies and to investigate deaths in detention centers. He also said he wants to put guardrails on ICE.
Cuellar said a Palmhurst event center owner told him the business lost 20 contracts because customers were afraid of ICE raids. He said public schools along the border are seeing attendance drop because of fear among families, along with the effects of school vouchers. He said voter frustration over cost-of-living increases and immigration enforcement is shifting the political landscape in South Texas compared with 2024.
The rally featured U.S. Reps. Vicente Gonzalez, Sylvia Garcia and Linda Sanchez, and congressional candidate Bobby Pulido.