If there’s one thing Texas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico can’t escape, it’s his past statements.
This time, Talarico was caught pretending he didn’t want to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when his past statements painted a different picture.
During a CNN town hall event on Wednesday evening, the moderator asked, “So I'm trying to understand where you stand on this issue, so important to Texas and the country. Do you support abolishing ICE or not?”
“No, and I never have,” Talarico replied.
The candidate said the country needs ICE, but that “What we’ve seen over the last year is a secret police force, and that’s what we don’t want in this country.”
James Talarico is a liar who wants to abolish ICE and open our borders. TONIGHT: "I never have" supported abolishing ICE EARLIER THIS YEAR: "It is time to tear down this secret police force." https://t.co/suNZWGH3DN
— Senate Republicans (@NRSC) October 15, 2026
The reality is that Talarico has repeatedly called for dismantling or replacing ICE. During a January primary debate, the candidate declared, “It’s time to tear down this secret police force and replace it with an agency that actually is going to focus on public safety.”
ICE shot a mother in the face. ICE kidnapped a 5 year-old boy. ICE executed a man on the street. It’s time to tear down this secret police force. https://t.co/uIM2baIuUW
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) January 26, 2026
Still, the candidate is trying to distance himself from the Democrat Party’s embrace of open borders. During the same event, he called out former President Joe Biden for failing to address the border crisis that persisted throughout his presidency.
The Democratic nominee branded himself as a “border security Democrat” during the event, which was hosted by CNN and Jubilee.
“Both political parties have failed us on this issue,” he told the crowd in Fort Worth, Texas. “Joe Biden failed us during his administration by not securing the border.”
The candidate added that he disagreed with some of the tactics used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers amid President Trump’s crackdown on immigration in the state.
“ICE should be focused on going after the cartels, not our communities,” the Democrat said.
“They should be going after violent gang members, not moms and babies,” Talarico continued. “And so, I think we’ve got to get to a place where we reject the extremism on this issue in both parties and finally pass comprehensive immigration reform.”
The latest polling shows Talarico with a narrow lead over Republican Ken Paxton. According to a University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll of likely voters conducted from Sept. 25 to Oct. 5, Talarico leads 50 percent to 47 percent, while a Marist poll of likely voters fielded Oct. 8–11 has him ahead 47 percent to 45 percent.