Asalia Casares, 52, a lifelong Democrat, cast her vote for U.S. President Joe Biden in 2020, echoing the sentiment of many in Maverick County, situated near the U.S.-Mexico border. This area stands out as a Democratic stronghold within the predominantly Republican state of Texas.
However, Casares expresses apprehension regarding the heightened levels of illegal immigration that are placing strain on her hometown of Eagle Pass, Texas.
Located alongside the Rio Grande, where she was born and raised, the town grapples with the impact of this influx.
While she empathizes with the migrants, she remains deeply concerned about the safety of both residents and migrant families alike.
Casares highlights the perilous journey across the Rio Grande, citing an incident where three individuals were discovered hiding behind the house of an elderly neighbor.
Casares, a Maverick County tax official campaigning for another term, believes that Republican former President Donald Trump’s tougher stance would deter border crossings. Outside an early voting site, she indicated her inclination to vote for him over Biden in a head-to-head November presidential election.
“If it’s Biden and Trump, that’s a little bit tough because I am a Democrat, but I don’t like what we’re living. I don’t like what’s happening in our borders,” she said “I would probably say Trump.”
Trump, the presumptive Republican Party nominee, intends to capitalize on this frustration during his visit to Eagle Pass. He pledges to escalate his first-term immigration crackdown and revive signature policies, including the construction of a border wall and the reinstatement of the “Remain in Mexico” program.
This initiative compelled certain non-Mexican migrants to await the resolution of their U.S. asylum cases in Mexico.
Maverick County, predominantly Hispanic and home to Eagle Pass, has historically supported Democratic presidential candidates for almost a century. In 2020, Biden won the country despite losing Texas to Trump.
The Maverick County Republican Party points to research by political analyst Dave Wasserman, indicating increased support for Trump between the 2016 and 2020 presidential races. The county’s Democratic Party has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Just a friendly reminder when someone says that Maverick County is a Democrat stronghold they obviously haven’t been paying attention to trends and the failures of a Democrat Administration and the Democrat Controlled Congress. We look forward to winning in November! pic.twitter.com/N0FYVwZra3
— Maverick County Republican Party (@MaverickCoGOP) February 26, 2022
Biden plans to conduct his own border visit to Brownsville, Texas, approximately 320 miles southeast along the border, on Thursday.
In recent months, the president has adopted a tougher stance on immigration and faults Republicans for their failure to pass legislation aimed at bolstering immigration enforcement funding and authority.
Concurrently, his campaign portrays Trump as obstructing border reforms for personal political advantage, criticizing him for advocating historical levels of deportations as cruel.
