The Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation took a survey in the second week of April. The results are not good for President Biden and other Democrats.
The survey shows that there is strong support among Hispanic voters for two signature border policies of Governor Greg Abbott.
First, 61% of Texas likely voters supported (and 34% opposed) spending $3.5 billion in Texas tax dollars annually on border security, ranging from border wall construction to the deployment of the Texas National Guard to the border. Two-thirds of white and three-fifths of Hispanic likely voters supported this policy, as do 86% of Republicans, 64% of independents, and even 33% of Democrats. Among Hispanics who lived near the border, 70% supported the policy.
Second, 58% of Texas likely voters supported (and 40% opposed) SB 4, which makes illegal immigration a state crime. Two-thirds of white and half of Hispanic likely voters supported this policy, as do 95% of Republicans, 56% of independents, and 16% of Democrats.
So, that would be positive support for Operation Lone Star, the border initiative the Republican governor launched in March 2021 when it became clear that President Biden would not secure the southern border or send support to Texas to do so. Texas taxpayers have paid billions of dollars for the initiative.
SB 4 is the controversial new law that the Biden administration is working to keep from going into effect. It empowers local and state law enforcement to hold illegal aliens and judges to deport them back across the border. The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to rule on the case soon. The case, though, is most likely headed to the Supreme Court.
On the specifics, the survey questioned a sample of 1600 likely voters in Texas, including 404 Hispanics. The term 'Hispanic' was used because when asked, they preferred that over 'Latino' or the inane 'Latinx' description. 72% preferred Hispanic, 26% preferred Latino, and 2% preferred Latinx.
As far as approval ratings go, Abbott leads Biden 54% to 24% on handling the southern border. The disapproval numbers are 44% disapproval of Abbott's handling of the southern border and 73% disapproval of Biden.
Two-thirds of white and half of Hispanic likely voters approved of Abbott’s handling of the border situation, compared to only a fifth and a fourth who approved of Biden’s border policy. And while 93% of Republicans and 54% of independents approved of Abbott’s border policy, only 63% of Democrats and 21% of independents approved of Biden’s.
Immigration and border security are top issues in the presidential election, thanks to Joe Biden's lack of enforcement of immigration laws on the books. He issued executive orders on his first day in office to do away with the policies and agreements made by the Trump administration that worked to secure the border. Since then, no matter how bad the Biden border crisis has gotten, Biden refuses to act. It is a deliberate dereliction of duty. It was his plan all along to allow as many illegal aliens into the country as possible to fundamentally change America. His non-enforcement of federal immigration laws has created a humanitarian crisis and a national security crisis along the southern border.
The Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation survey found that Trump holds a 12-point lead over Biden in Texas. That is more than double his 2020 margin of victory. In 2020, he won Texas by a 5.6% lead over Biden in Texas. Biden's failures on the border are playing a strong role in the 2024 election. Texas Republicans receive more positive evaluations than Democrats for policies.
Trump has a 4-point lead over Biden among Texas Hispanic voters. They are expected to make up a quarter of Texas voters. Compare that to 2020 when Biden won Texas Hispanic voters by 17 points. That is a big shift.
Among white likely voters, Trump has a 31-point advantage in 2024 compared to the vote in 2020 when that advantage was 33 points.
This survey confirms what many in Texas already know - Texas Hispanic voters want a secure border and they are angry that millions of illegal aliens are allowed to enter the United States. Biden's border crisis has backfired. Despite what Democrat coastal elites would have you believe, Trump's policies worked and voters remember that. Hispanic voters are helping to provide Trump with a double-digit lead in Texas.
