In the border country around McAllen, Texas, a construction owner who once voted for Donald Trump now fences his job sites against federal immigration agents, and the regret he feels is shared by a growing number of Latino neighbors. The enforcement campaign that was promised to voters has begun to reach into the ordinary rhythms of work, home, and trust, slowing houses from months into a year and leaving people wondering whose promises still hold. As the midterm elections approach, the question is whether this unease will travel from kitchen tables and job sites into the ballot box, where Tex
ICE Crackdown Pushes Some Texas Latino Voters Away From Trump Ahead of Midterms
Workers have been detained by ICE and many residents fear going to work, with some citizens reportedly affected by fear in McAllen.
"I regret my vote for Biden. Now I regret my vote for Trump."
Mark
Why does a man putting up fences around a job site belong in a story about the midterms?
Mimi
Because it shows the crackdown reaching an ordinary business. Benny Melendez says a house now takes a year to build instead of four months, and some days he has two workers.
Mark
He voted for Biden, then Trump, and regrets both. Is that a trend?
Luke
Careful. That's one man's account. The story does cite a poll finding nearly 60% of Latinos think deportations exceeded their expectations, but that's a different question from whether they'll change their vote.
Mimi
Right, and Jessica Vuittonet, the coffee shop owner in San Benito, says she regrets her Trump vote too. But two voices don't amount to a measured shift.
Mark
The McAllen mayor is a Republican, though. Doesn't that carry weight?
Mimi
It does. Javier Villalobos says the crackdown is the top issue among his constituents, and he says people support deporting violent criminals but not what they see now.
Luke
Still his own read of his city, and he says fear reaches citizens too. The piece doesn't give numbers on that, or on how many workers have been detained.
Mark
And the White House?
Mimi
Tom Homan said he doesn't care about the midterms, that his job is enforcing the law. CBS had also asked the White House for comment.
Luke
What we don't know is whether regret turns into votes. Talarico versus Paxton and the TX-15 race will be the first real evidence.
El Pulso
- A construction owner near McAllen has fenced his job sites to keep ICE agents from detaining his workers, and he now regrets his vote for Trump.
- Homebuilding that once took four months now stretches to a full year, as crews shrink and workers stay home out of fear.
- Nearly 60% of Latinos in a recent poll say deportations have outrun what they expected, and even a Republican mayor calls the crackdown his constituents' top concern.
- Democrats are testing whether this disillusionment can flip key Texas contests, including the open Senate seat and the 15th congressional district, in November.
- The White House defends the enforcement as promised, with the border czar saying he does not care about the midterms, leaving the rift unresolved.
In the border country around McAllen, Texas, a construction owner who once voted for Donald Trump now fences his job sites against federal immigration agents, and the regret he feels is shared by a growing number of Latino neighbors. The enforcement campaign that was promised to voters has begun to reach into the ordinary rhythms of work, home, and trust, slowing houses from months into a year and leaving people wondering whose promises still hold. As the midterm elections approach, the question is whether this unease will travel from kitchen tables and job sites into the ballot box, where Texas will show whether a community's second thoughts can change the shape of power.
At one of his South Texas construction sites, Benny Melendez has put up fencing with a clear purpose: to keep ICE agents from walking onto the property and taking his workers away, and to require a judicial warrant before anyone enters. He runs a small company near McAllen, in a local industry that officials say has been hit hard by the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Workers have been detained, and many others stay home from work, afraid of being arrested on their way to a job site.
The cost is measurable. A single house now takes his crew about a year to finish, where it once took four months. On the day he spoke with CBS News, only two workers were on site. "We're blessed that we have two workers today," he said. Melendez voted for Biden in 2020 and for Trump in 2024, and now he regrets both. "What other options do we got?" he asked. "They're not working for us, neither party."
He is not alone. Nearly 60% of Latinos in a recent poll say the administration has deported more people than they expected. In San Benito, coffee shop owner Jessica Vuittonet also voted for Trump, largely for religious reasons, and now regrets it after seeing neighbors detained. "I know he was going to start deporting people but not innocent people," she said.
The unease has reached Republicans too. McAllen's mayor, Javier Villalobos, says the public still supports border security and the removal of violent offenders, but many residents now see the enforcement as aimed at the Hispanic community, and it has left fear even among American citizens. "It is not a good picture," he said.
Democrats are betting this shift can help them in November, especially in the Senate race and in the 15th district, where Bobby Pulido is challenging Monica De La Cruz. The White House has defended ICE's work, and border czar Tom Homan has said he does not care about the midterms. Whether voters like Melendez and Vuittonet bring their regret to the polls is what both parties in South Texas will be watching.
At one of several construction sites he manages in South Texas, Benny Melendez has put up fencing. He says it is there for a specific reason: to keep U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from walking onto the property and arresting his workers, and to force them to present a judicial warrant before they can come in. "If I don't install fences, ICE is going to come into my property and take my workers away," he told CBS News.
Melendez owns a small construction company along the U.S.-Mexico border near McAllen. Local officials describe construction as one of the industries hit hardest by President Trump's sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration. Owners like Melendez say they are struggling to find workers. Some of their employees have been detained by ICE, and many others are afraid to show up for work at all, worried they will be arrested.
The effect on his business can be measured. Building a single home now takes his team about a year, he says, up from an average of four months before the crackdown began. On the day he spoke with CBS News, he had two workers on site. "We're blessed that we have two workers today," he said.
Melendez voted for Mr. Trump in 2024 after backing President Biden in 2020, and he says he regrets both. "I regret my vote for Biden. Now I regret my vote for Trump," he said. "What other options do we got? They're not working for us, neither party."
His frustration reflects a wider current among some Latino voters, including some who supported Mr. Trump in 2024 and now believe the mass deportation campaign has gone too far. A recent poll found nearly 60% of Latinos think the administration has deported more people than they expected. Jessica Vuittonet, who owns a coffee shop in San Benito, about a 45-minute drive from McAllen, voted for Mr. Trump two years ago, mainly because of her religious views. She now regrets it, pointing to local residents who have been detained by ICE. "I know he was going to start deporting people but not innocent people — not hardworking people," she said.
Democrats are betting that this unease will help them in November's midterms as they try to retake control of Congress, and Texas will test that bet. Mr. Trump and Republicans made large gains among Latinos in the state in 2024, especially in border communities directly affected by the migration crisis under the Biden administration. Two races stand out. In the open Senate seat, Democratic state representative James Talarico is facing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, in a hotly contested contest. In Texas' 15th congressional district, Tejano singer Bobby Pulido, a Democrat, is trying to unseat Republican Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz.
The warning also comes from inside the Republican Party. Javier Villalobos, the Republican mayor of McAllen, the largest city in the 15th district, says his party risks losing some of its gains in Latino border communities. He calls the ICE crackdown the top issue among his constituents. "Inflation, the economy, everything is important. But what hits you immediately, what hits personally is the crackdown, when you see the ICE agents, masked, and pulling people out of vehicles," he told CBS News. "It is not a good picture."
Villalobos says residents backed stronger border security and deporting violent criminals who are in the country illegally. But he says many now see the enforcement as a crackdown on the Hispanic community, and that it has instilled fear in his city, including among American citizens.
CBS News has asked the White House for a response. Administration officials have routinely defended ICE's work, noting that the president campaigned on expanding deportations. Border czar Tom Homan, asked earlier this month about criticism from some Republicans, said, "I particularly don't care about midterms. My job as a border czar is to keep that border secure and enforce immigration law." Whether voters like Melendez and Vuittonet carry their regret to the ballot box in November is what both parties in South Texas will be watching.
Citas Notables
What hits you immediately, what hits personally is the crackdown, when you see the ICE agents, masked, and pulling people out of vehicles.— Javier Villalobos, Republican mayor of McAllen
I particularly don't care about midterms. My job as a border czar is to keep that border secure and enforce immigration law.— Tom Homan, White House border czar
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