Border Patrol union blasts Talarico’s record on immigration issues

The National Border Patrol Council (NBPC), the nation’s largest union representing employees of the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) is warning that Texas’ Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico would be a disaster for U.S. border security if elected.

“JAMES TALARICO DOES NOT SUPPORT BORDER SECURITY,” the NBPC said in an Oct. 14 X post, emphasizing Talarico’s past statements in support of “open borders.”

“Talarico’s false claim that he called out the Biden Administration for failing on the border is nothing more than a #FakeNews political ad,” the NBPC said. “His record shows that he labeled border security funding as ‘wasting money on dumb things,’ and instead supported diverting $800 million in funds away from protecting our borders.”

The Democratic Senate hopeful also voted against creating a border protection unit while in the Texas state legislature, the union said, and has openly endorsed creating “legal pathways” for illegal aliens to enter the U.S., which the NBPC said amounts to “AMNESTY.”

In an Oct. 14 townhall event hosted by CNN and Jubilee, Talarico said that the U.S. must “build a pathway to citizenship for our neighbors who have been here for years and decades.”

He suggested that illegal aliens should be able to pay a fine and back taxes and learn English and then apply for U.S. citizenship.

“If they can do all those things, I think they deserve a shot at joining our communities as full citizens,” he added.

In the past, Talarico has said that the U.S. border “should be like our front porch — there should be a giant welcome mat out front,” referred to illegal aliens as his “constituents,” ” and called Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a “secret police force,” demanding severe restrictions on the agency. He has also confirmed that he has shared information with illegal aliens on avoiding ICE and has helped hide illegal aliens from ICE.

As a state legislator, Talarico voted against 2021’s House Bill (H.B.) 9 to provide funding for state border enforcement measures, 2023’s H.B. 7 to create a state border protection unit, 2025’s Senate Bill 8 requiring local law enforcement agencies to cooperate and collaborate with ICE, and voted against legislation creating state prohibitions against illegal entry to the U.S.

Talarico’s record, the NBPC said, indicates that he would pose a serious risk to U.S. border security if elected to the Senate.

“At least 25 million illegal aliens invaded the US during the 4 years of the disastrous Biden Administration and openly advocating for pathways to citizenship is NOT putting America First and will lead to the destruction of America as we know it,” the union said. “We CANNOT afford another disaster on our borders!”

White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller posted to X Oct. 14 criticizing Talarico’s position on border security, accusing him of having “supported, encouraged and enabled Biden’s decision to flood Texas with illegal alien criminals from 100+ nations who committed one vile atrocity after another. He aided and abetted the cartels — foreign terrorist organizations.”