Democrats are going through the motions, acting as if they will learn from their 2024 election losses. Democratic governors are already proving that this is not the case.
One of the many issues on which voters demonstrated that Democrats were out of step was illegal immigration, which contributed to the flipping of several Hispanic districts along the border.
This includes Starr County, which has the country’s highest Hispanic population at 97%. Starr County supported Hillary Clinton by 60 points in 2016, Joe Biden by five points in 2020, and shifted to support Donald Trump by 16 points on Tuesday.
During Biden’s presidency, the border crisis has been front and center, even in liberal circles, as illegal immigrants flooded Democratic cities like Chicago and New York City.
People simply do not want their communities to be overwhelmed, with housing prices skyrocketing as homeless shelters fill and government services cut for illegal immigrants.
However, Democratic governors are content to continue running their sanctuary policies for another election cycle.
Shortly after Trump’s victory, California Attorney General Rob Bonta (who may run for governor) stated, “I can promise the undocumented immigrant community in California that I and my team have been thinking about you for months, and the harm that could come from the Trump administration 2.0.
We’ll do everything we can to defend you, including using the full authority of our office.” Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) wants to “Trump-proof” California laws, including its sanctuary status.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James are also devising strategies to protect the state’s illegal immigrants.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, who previously announced that the state would evict illegal immigrants from shelters due to overcrowding, has announced that her state will not cooperate in deporting illegal immigrants.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has prioritized illegal immigrants throughout his tenure, believes he is now the main character in an action film, claiming that “a happy warrior is still a warrior” and that “You come for my people, you come through me.”
The Democratic Party will not reflect on itself as long as ambitious state leaders like Newsom, Pritzker, and Bonta revive the “Resistance”-era mindset of refusing to give ground no matter how unpopular or destructive progressive policy is.
That includes prioritizing and favoring illegal immigrants over everyone else, despite the fact that those policies were widely rejected by the country on Tuesday.
