Is Trump is making Democrats more competitive in South Texas?

Is Trump is making Democrats more competitive in South Texas?

From Texas Take by Houston Chronicle

May 1, 2026 · 55 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of Trump's immigration policies on Texas politics and Latino voters, featuring insights from immigration reporter Julián Aguilar and strategist Laura Barberena.

On this episode of Texas Take, host Jeremy Wallace looks at how President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown is affecting Texas politics, Latino voters and families held at the Dilley detention facility. Houston Chronicle immigration reporter Julián Aguilar explains the cases of detained children and families, while Democratic strategist Laura Barberena breaks down how backlash over the crackdown could reshape South Texas congressional races. Plus, they’ll get into why Texas music star Kacey Musgraves is helping shine a bigger spotlight on it all with her new tour. Finally, after seeing Post Malone in a Texas-themed anti-litter ad, Wallace counts down the five best "Don’t Mess with Texas" ads in history. Sure, Willie Nelson is guaranteed to make the cut, but will George Strait, Matthew McConaughey, Warren Moon and Earl Campbell? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Jeremy Wallace

Guests: Julián Aguilar, Laura Barberena

Topics covered

  • Trump immigration policy
  • Texas politics
  • Latino voters
  • South Texas congressional races
  • Kacey Musgraves tour
  • anti-litter campaign

Keywords

  • Trump
  • immigration
  • Texas politics
  • Latino voters
  • Dilley detention facility
  • Kacey Musgraves
  • anti-litter ads

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Houston Chronicle

Places: South Texas, Dilley

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