GOP Candidates Go Mum On Key Message

Immigration is becoming one of the most closely watched issues of the 2026 midterm elections, with candidates in both parties adjusting their positions as voters weigh border security, deportations, immigration reform and the future of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Republicans continue to emphasize stronger border enforcement and the removal of dangerous criminals, but several GOP candidates in competitive races are also calling for a more targeted approach to immigration enforcement.

Democrats face a different challenge. The party remains divided between progressives who want ICE abolished and more moderate candidates who support reforming the agency rather than eliminating it.

With control of Congress at stake on November 3, immigration could play an important role in several closely watched House and Senate races.

Democrats Split Over Whether ICE Should Be Abolished

The divide within the Democratic Party became especially visible during the Democratic National Committee’s meeting in Austin, Texas.

A DNC committee voted 25-12 in favor of a resolution urging Congress to develop legislation that would abolish ICE. Members also advanced a separate proposal calling for substantial reforms to the agency.

The competing resolutions highlighted a broader disagreement inside the party over how immigration enforcement should operate.

Progressive Democrats have increasingly argued that ICE should be dismantled entirely.

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed has criticized members of his party who are hesitant to embrace that position, arguing that Democrats should take a more aggressive approach to changing the country’s immigration system.

Other Democratic candidates have chosen a more moderate path.

Texas Senate Candidates Offer Competing Immigration Plans

In Texas, Democratic state Rep. James Talarico has called for reforming ICE instead of abolishing it.

Talarico has argued that immigration enforcement should concentrate heavily on drug cartels, human traffickers and other criminal organizations while maintaining security along the southern border.

His Republican opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, has emphasized tougher immigration enforcement.

Paxton’s office has participated in enforcement actions that resulted in individuals being transferred to federal immigration authorities.

The contrast gives Texas voters two substantially different approaches to immigration enforcement heading into the election.

Polling Shows Americans Remain Divided Over Deportations

Public opinion on immigration enforcement is complicated.

A Pew Research Center survey of 3,592 U.S. adults conducted in April found that 52% believed the Trump administration was doing too much when it came to deportations.

Another 31% said the administration was handling deportations at about the right level, while 15% said officials were not doing enough.

The results also revealed a significant partisan divide.

Republican voters were considerably more supportive of the administration’s enforcement policies, while Democratic voters were much more likely to believe deportations had gone too far.

That political divide is forcing candidates in competitive races to carefully explain where they stand.

California Race Highlights Immigration Concerns

Immigration has become especially important in California’s Central Valley, where agriculture depends heavily on immigrant labor.

Democratic congressional candidate Randy Villegas has criticized immigration enforcement operations in Kern County while challenging Republican Rep. David Valadao.

Villegas has accused Valadao of failing to push back strongly enough against aggressive immigration enforcement.

However, the January 2025 raids frequently cited in that debate were conducted by Customs and Border Protection before President Donald Trump returned to office.

Valadao said at the time that immigration authorities should prioritize criminals rather than workers who help produce America’s food supply.

He has since supported continued enforcement against serious criminals while also backing a legal pathway for certain immigrants and expanded agricultural worker programs.

That combination reflects a political reality facing lawmakers in farming communities.

Many voters want stronger border security, while farmers and agricultural businesses also depend on a stable workforce.

Some Republicans Push for More Targeted Enforcement

Colorado Republican Rep. Gabe Evans has taken a similar approach.

Evans supports immigration enforcement but has argued that authorities should focus primarily on dangerous criminals and gang members.

He has summarized that position by saying immigration authorities should prioritize “gangbangers, not grandmas.”

The message reflects an effort by some Republicans to distinguish between removing violent offenders and conducting broader immigration sweeps.

Still, Republicans are not abandoning immigration as a major campaign issue.

GOP candidates continue to emphasize border security, enforcement of federal immigration law and deportation of immigrants convicted of serious crimes.

The disagreement increasingly centers on how those policies should be carried out.

Florida Republican Breaks With Trump on Immigration Tactics

One of the most notable disagreements inside the Republican Party has come from Florida Rep. María Elvira Salazar.

Salazar represents a heavily Hispanic Miami-area district and has criticized some elements of President Trump’s immigration enforcement strategy.

In a campaign advertisement released in September, Salazar warned that some Hispanic voters who supported Trump in 2024 were unhappy with the administration’s approach.

Her district contains a large Cuban American population and has historically leaned Republican.

However, the 2026 contest has attracted additional attention as Democrats attempt to make the race more competitive.

Salazar is facing Democrat Eliott Rodriguez, a former Miami television news anchor.

An internal Democratic poll showed the two candidates tied at 45%, although internal campaign polls should generally be viewed with caution because methodology and assumptions can vary.

Republicans Continue Spending Heavily on Immigration

Despite disagreements over enforcement tactics, immigration remains a major Republican campaign theme.

Republican campaigns spent tens of millions of dollars on immigration-related political advertising during the first half of the election year.

That spending significantly exceeded Democratic advertising on the same issue.

Republicans have traditionally viewed border security and immigration enforcement as areas where they can draw a clear contrast with Democrats.

Democrats, however, are increasingly attempting to shift the debate toward deportation practices, treatment of longtime residents and potential reforms to ICE.

The Debate Is Moving Beyond Border Security

The political debate surrounding immigration has become broader than the traditional question of whether the border should be secured.

Candidates are increasingly debating several separate issues:

• Which immigrants should receive the highest priority for deportation.
• Whether ICE should be reformed, reduced or abolished.
• How authorities should handle immigrants who have lived in the United States for many years without committing serious crimes.
• Whether Congress should expand pathways to legal residency or citizenship.
• How immigration enforcement affects agriculture and other industries that depend heavily on immigrant workers.
• How federal authorities should balance public safety with economic concerns.

Those questions could become increasingly important as Election Day approaches.

Immigration Could Influence Control of Congress

The 2026 midterm elections may provide voters with one of the clearest choices in years over the future direction of U.S. immigration policy.

Republicans generally continue to support stronger enforcement and tighter border controls, although some candidates are calling for a more selective approach to deportations.

Democrats remain divided between candidates demanding sweeping changes to ICE and others who favor keeping the agency while reforming how it operates.

That leaves voters with several competing approaches to border security, immigration enforcement and legal immigration.

As House and Senate races enter their final weeks, candidates from both parties are likely to continue emphasizing immigration alongside economic concerns such as inflation, jobs, energy prices and the cost of living.

The results on November 3 could help shape the direction of U.S. immigration policy for the remainder of President Trump’s term.