Dems seize on midterm rout to demand ICE reform but polls reveal a twist in who prioritized immigration

Democrats are seizing on their sweeping midterm victories to demand immigration reform, even as polling shows economic concerns far outpaced it as a priority for both Democratic and Hispanic voters.

Official response and confirmed impact

The push follows Democratic gains nationwide, including wins in Texas congressional districts redrawn to favor Republicans and major upsets in the state’s Senate and gubernatorial races.

Some winners are casting the results as a mandate to challenge President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and putting prospective 2028 Democratic presidential candidates on notice.

"Whoever wants to get our support in ’28 has to prioritize immigration reform, period," Rep.-elect Bobby Pulido, D-Texas, who defeated Republican Rep.

Monica De La Cruz in South Texas, said last Wednesday at a news conference alongside fellow Texas Democrats pushing for immigration reform.

But Digital polling showed 27% of Republican voters ranked immigration as their top issue, compared to just 3% of Democrats.

Pulido flipped a redrawn, Republican-leaning South Texas district, ousting De La Cruz, who won her re-election in 2024 by 14. 2 points.

He campaigned on affordability while tying Trump's immigration enforcement raids at worksites to workforce shortages that hurt the economy.