Texas Republican Representative Monica De La Cruz said in an interview with ABC News on Tuesday that she believes Donald Trump’s border policies influenced voters in the 2024 election, and that securing the US border should be a priority.
De La Cruz has won a second term in the historically blue Rio Grande Valley and, like President-elect Donald Trump, campaigned on a platform focused on securing the border.
He says the current policy of the Biden-Harris administration is ineffective, increasing chaos at the border and insecurity in the US suburbs.
Rep. Monica De La Cruz has called the Biden-Harris border politics a “joke.”
ABCNews.com
ABC News spoke with De La Cruz about protecting the border over the next four years.
ABC NEWS: You want to get information from a member of parliament who knows border issues very well. Representative Monica De La Cruz represents a south Texas district on the US-Mexico border. He is a Republican and just won a second term in the historically blue Rio Grande Valley. Congressman, thank you very much for speaking with us. What’s your reaction to the appointments we’ve seen so far?
MONICA DE LA CRUZ: Well, the appointments are exciting and Trump is getting going, without wasting any more time. In the first 100 days in Congress and in his presidency, he expects us to get to work and so does the American people. That’s why we were planning so fast right now, so that we have a quick, fast 100 days where Americans can see the results of their votes.
ABC NEWS: And you campaigned on a platform focused on securing the border. What in particular would you like to see from a Trump administration?
DE LA CRUZ: Well, earlier this year, we passed HR2, the Secure the Border Act, the most sweeping and conservative piece of legislation ever passed by the House of Representatives. We want to put that into law.
In the 119th Congress, we will have the Senate, the White House, and the House. That way, I believe we will finally be able to do what the American people want, which is to secure the border and reform legal immigration.
ABC NEWS: Is there something that is working in the current border policy that you want to follow?
DE LA CRUZ: The current policy of the Biden-Harris administration is a joke. It is irresponsible. Borders are open. It has wreaked havoc on the borders and made our neighborhoods dangerous. That’s why Hispanics made a loud message last week. They said, not on my behalf. There is no more open policy, there is no more reckless and open border policy of the Biden administration.
It’s time for these DC elites to stop this reckless and open border policy to feel good at DC cocktails. Hispanics don’t want it. They want a secure border. They want safe neighborhoods and a safe nation.
This is why they elected President Trump as the 47th president.
ABC NEWS: And so you don’t think the Biden administration has done anything that should continue at the border?
DE LA CRUZ: What the Biden administration has done is brought criminals across our border. We have seen women raped. We’ve seen kids like Jocelyn (Nungaray), like Laken Riley, who were murdered by illegal immigrants.
So what we need is a safe and secure border. That’s what Americans want. They want national security. This is largely why they elected President Trump.
But in my part of the district, which is Deep South Texas, the Rio Grande Valley, we flipped every county from blue to red, overwhelmingly electing President Trump, electing myself.
In fact, Stark County, which is 98% Hispanic, turned red for the first time since 1892. This means that Biden and Harris did not secure a limit. They did not like the chaos under their pure leadership. And that’s why they turned red for the first time in over 100 years.
ABC NEWS: Would you really attribute that to that change? And the shift was especially big among Latino voters. Do you think this is entirely due to the border?
DE LA CRUZ: I think there were three issues. The border was the first thing we talked about. It was the economy. Hispanics tend to have large families. That means more mouths to feed.
Under the Biden-Harris administration, we have seen the cost of living grow exponentially. And what that means is that they live paycheck to paycheck and put the basics of eggs and milk on the table.
The third thing is cultural. Culturally, the Republicans were talking about prosperity. They were talking about hope for the future, prosperity. Meanwhile, the Democrats were talking about pronouns. They were completely disconnected from the Hispanic population and, frankly, the American people.
ABC NEWS: Representative De La Cruz, thank you very much for your time. appreciate it
DE LA CRUZ: Thank you.
