In an early August poll, 93% of MAGA people approve of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. 85% of conservatives, 35% of moderates, and 4% of liberals do. Overall, 40% do.

Politico reports that Trump at the convention Sept 9 – 10 will praise the virtual closing of the Mexican border to asylum and other seekers and the continuing construction of a border wall. But “hardline immigration activists [are] already livid over their feeling that the administration hasn’t lived up to its campaign promises….it also is an acknowledgment that the politics of immigration are far thornier for Trump than they were at the 2024 convention when “MASS DEPORTATION NOW” signs filled the room. The change is due, in large part, to the killings in Minneapolis and Maine, third-country removals, and the arrests of thousands of long-term immigrants who have not committed violent crimes.”

“In Texas, Concerns [about deportations] were the central focus of a White House meeting …. between chief of staff Susie Wiles, Speaker Mike Johnson, and a group of Republican lawmakers….The group talked about growing concerns that Hispanic voters are abandoning the Republican Party in droves, as well as the policies driving these losses — immigration and affordability concerns. (Go here).

“Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas) was among the lawmakers in attendance….She, alongside South Texas leaders, held two additional meetings….one with Johnson and another with the White House Office of Legislative Affairs, to discuss her proposals for new policies to address worker shortages, including legislation to streamline visa programs and address the need for workers in the agriculture and construction industries.”

In 2024 and 2025, Cruz vocally supported Trump’s immigration policy. She has since become equivocal.  She is one of six Republican Congresspersons with an Hispanic majority population.

March, 2026, ICE detained the Gámez-Cuéllar family, including McAllen High School mariachi students whose asylum case was pending. De La Cruz called the detention “troubling,” contacted the White House, border czar Tom Homan and DHS officials, and helped obtain the release of 18-year-old Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar. She said, “We can have safe communities, and we can also have common-sense enforcement policies.”