Texas Senate hopeful and former teacher James Talarico argued Thursday that his “most patriotic” students were illegal migrants.
“Before I was a politician, I was a public school teacher in San Antonio, Texas, on the west side of the city, and I taught a lot of undocumented students, and those students tended to be my most patriotic students,” Talarico said during an interview with “The Bulwark Podcast.”
“They understood something about this country that a lot of us who are native born forget,” the Democratic state lawmaker argued, “that this is supposed to be the land of opportunity, that this is supposed to be the place where dreams come true.”
Talarico further explained that the illegal migrants in his classroom “believed in this country, even when this country didn’t believe in them.”
The 36-year-old rising Democratic star then slammed President Trump’s immigration crackdown, calling it “immoral” and “unconscionable.”
“The fact that we have the most powerful politicians in the country terrorizing my former students and their families — people who work hard every day to contribute to this economy and to this country — to me, is immoral. It’s unconscionable. It’s unacceptable, and it has to end,” Talarico said.
Talarico’s remarks stunned conservatives on social media.
“This is apparently the message he’s going with to Texas parents,” conservative influencer Western Lensman posted on X.
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) argued Talarico “cares more about the illegal aliens fresh over our border than the Texans whose families have been here for generations.”
“By saying all these things out loud, Talarico is gonna raise even more money than Beto,” conservative talk show host Steve Deace wrote on X, referring to the failed 2018 Texas Democratic Senate candidate, Beto O’Rourke.
“He’s also gonna lose worse, too,” Deace added.
“This woke creep has zero chance of ever representing the Lone Star State,” Republican National Committee spokesman Zach Kraft told The Post. “It is stunning to watch James Talarico kamikaze his campaign by openly mocking Texans who love a good steak, worship God, and are patriotic red-blooded Americans.”
