Democrats posted considerable gains in the midterm elections, including surprise victories in Texas. Buoyed by this success, they are now calling for reform of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. Yet several opinion polls suggest that the immigration issue weighed less heavily on many voters' decisions than one might think.
In Texas, Democrat Pulido flipped a redrawn South Texas seat leaning toward the Republican Party, defeating Republican De La Cruz. She believes Democratic presidential candidates in 2028 will have to place immigration reform at the center of their platforms. For his part, Cuellar linked the vote of electors who chose candidates from different parties to two concerns: the cost of living and the tightening of immigration policy.
According to the organization UnidosUS, about 14.5 million Latinos voted in the 2026 midterm elections. Democratic support among this electorate reportedly reached levels comparable to those of Barack Obama in 2008. These figures make the Latino community a central issue for the Democratic coalition, even though voters' motivations appear varied.
The Fox News Voter Poll, however, offers an important nuance. For 45% of Hispanic voters, the economy was the top issue, ahead of democracy, cited by 26%. Immigration came only third, with 15% of responses. In Texas, the results are similar: the economy was cited by 45% of Hispanic voters, democracy by 25%, and immigration by 15%.
The gap is even wider depending on party affiliation. According to the same poll, 27% of Republicans put immigration at the top of their concerns, compared with 3% of Democrats. Analysts cited by the source also stress that mobilization appears to be driven more by discontent with Donald Trump than by enthusiasm for Democrats.
The economic context also played a role. The conflict with Iran and the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz pushed up gasoline prices. Donald Trump told 60 Minutes that some deportation policies were too harsh and claimed that an agreement with Democrats on immigration was possible. A Hispanic business leader close to the Republican Party, for his part, warned the party about its approach to immigration. The children of immigrants reaching voting age were also cited as a factor.
The Republicans have thus lost their majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and their camp is reviewing its strategy ahead of 2028. Republican defeats were recorded in South Carolina, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi and Georgia. Comedian Bill Maher warned Democrats against a return to 'defund' policies and shoplifting crackdowns, while partly attributing Republican losses to the brutality of immigration enforcement and shootings involving immigration agents.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.