Midterms – Spotlight on Texas

NumbersUSA does not endorse candidates; we track their immigration positions.

The race for Texas Senator has powerful implications for immigration policy.

The results of the Republican primary runoff was a sign of the times for a generation of Republican legislators drawn to so-called “comprehensive immigration reform” packages.

Sen. Cornyn did not, as some have claimed, run on amnesty in 2026. In fact, he campaigned as a border hawk. 

But Cornyn’s Senate record on immigration dates back to 2002. His highest immigration grade over his career was 79%; his lowest was zero.  He has earned a C over his career. 

Cornyn consistently favored increasing the number of foreign workers. Near the beginning of his career, he sponsored a bill to create a temporary guestworker program for illegal aliens with an amnesty-on-installment program.

Ten years later, he voted to advance S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, the “Gang of Eight” comprehensive bill. That legislation would have granted amnesty to 11-18 million illegal aliens and drastically increased legal immigration to the United States.

Cornyn’s detractors have pointed to a 2020 Spanish-language campaign ad that touted his support for legalization for “Dreamers”. Nevertheless, Cornyn earned a B-minus in our amnesty category over the years. His Achilles’ heel was his inattention to overall immigration numbers.

Cornyn’s defeat is another indicator that Republican voters are moving on from a generation of politicians who were drawn to “comprehensive reform” packages that traded increased immigration numbers for increased border security. 

The border crisis changed the framework of the immigration conversation. The Biden Administration did its best to blur the lines between legal and illegal immigration, and voters didn’t care. Americans are more focused on mass immigration (legal and illegal) than perhaps at any time in NumbersUSA’s 30 year history. 

Republican voters are ahead of Republican politicians when it comes to reducing overall immigration. Politicians, certainly within the Republican party, are either evolving toward that position or rotating out of office.