Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin argued on X that the Texas election outcome could rapidly unwind the state’s direct role at the southern border, citing Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa’s past positions and votes.
“End cooperation … on day one,” Melugin wrote
“Understand the implications of what happened in Texas last night. Gina Hinojosa has called on Gov. Abbott to end state & local cooperation with ICE & she can order that on day one,” Melugin wrote on Nov. 4, according to posts captured by Western Journal.
He said Hinojosa “voted against the 2017 SB 4 … [which] required TX law enforcement to cooperate with ICE detainers,” and “then voted against another SB 4 in 2023, which made it a state crime to cross illegally into Texas.”
He predicts “likely no resistance” from Texas in a future surge
Melugin contended that “should there be another border crisis in coming years, there will likely be no resistance from Texas at the border. No Texas DPS, no TX National Guard, no razor wire or water buoys, and no Operation Lone Star,” adding that Hinojosa previously called Operation Lone Star a “dog and pony show” and “political theater.”
Recalling Del Rio in 2021, Melugin wrote that when “15,000 Haitians surged illegally … under the international bridge,” Texas DPS “responded on Abbott’s orders and physically blocked further crossings,” while “the Biden Border Patrol was caught off guard and offered almost no resistance,” and horseback agents were “falsely slandered for ‘whipping.’”
Why 2029 could matter
Melugin also argued that because “Republicans failed to pass any legislation codifying President Trump’s border security measures,” a Democratic president elected in 2028 “could … reverse every single Trump border security policy immediately upon taking office because they were all done at the executive level,” and “order Border Patrol to go back to a passive catch & release policy like we saw under Biden.”
Related commentary
Todd Bensman of the Center for Immigration Studies wrote on X that “Texas Gov-Elect Hinojosa likely will pull most or all of Texas state police, Texas National Guard, and intelligence assets from the 1,200-mile Texas-Mexico border if she still believes her past policy positions,” while adding his view that federal authorities could “hold the line” in the near term. His comments reflect his analysis and expectations.
All statements above are attributed to the individuals named and reflect their accounts, interpretations, or predictions.
