This is the online version of From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
In today’s edition, Jonathan Allen examines how President Donald Trump is attempting to fine-tune his immigration approach. Plus, Bridget Bowman explores the racial divides that are defining the Democratic Senate primary in Texas.
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— Adam Wollner
The tension at the center of Trump’s retooled immigration message
Analysis by Jonathan Allen
If it seems that President Donald Trump is of two minds about how to message his mass deportation campaign, that may be because his Republican Party is unified about the overarching strategy but split over the aggressive tactics deployed in pursuing it.
In an interview with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas yesterday, Trump said that he may have to apply a “softer touch” following federal agents’ killing of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis last month. Trump insisted that despite violent confrontations with citizens, immigrants with legal status and undocumented immigrants who have not committed violent crimes, ICE and Border Patrol agents are “focused on criminals, really bad criminals.”
“Now, you could say that people who came in illegally are criminals, but I’m talking about murderers from different countries,” he continued.
The numbers don’t back him up any more than high-profile cases like that of Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old who was apprehended by federal agents along with his father and sent to a detention center in Texas, even though they applied for asylum at the border last year. There is no evidence that the father or the child posed any threat to their community. (A federal judge ordered their return to Minneapolis.)
More broadly, Trump’s crackdown has led to a rise in the number of immigration arrests by federal authorities. But as that number has gone up, the share of detainees who have been convicted of crimes or who face pending charges has gone down. In other words, the raids are sweeping up a lot of people who are not “the worst of the worst.”
Trump seems to understand what polls suggest: His deportation policy is much more popular when it is actually focused on removing criminals. According to a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, 65% of Americans said ICE’s immigration enforcement has “gone too far.” Only 12% said the agency has not gone far enough. Moreover, the percentage of people who say the effort has gone too far has increased by 11 points since it was at 54% in June.
The shift underscores the discomfort many Americans, including some Republicans, feel when they see federal agents precipitating violence in interactions with people who have committed no violent crimes. So does Trump’s decision last week to remove Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino, the face of the aggressive tactics, with White House border czar Tom Homan, who has long emphasized targeting criminals.
But Trump also understands that his base demands action on his 2024 campaign promise to carry out mass deportations. And that’s why he vowed in the interview with Llamas to expand the mission to five more American cities.
See the full transcript of the interview here →
And read our fact check of Trump’s claims here →
Viral dispute over 'mediocre' comment exposes racial divides in Democrats' Texas Senate primary
By Bridget Bowman
The controversy over Texas state Rep. James Talarico’s alleged comment about one of his former Democratic opponents has exposed some of the racial divides unfolding in the party’s Senate primary, with just a few weeks until voters pick a nominee.
A TikTok influencer went viral this week with an allegation that Talarico described former Rep. Colin Allred as a “mediocre Black man.” Talarico said that was a “mischaracterization.”
In a statement earlier this week, Talarico said he had “described Congressman Allred’s method of campaigning as mediocre — but his life and service are not. I would never attack him on the basis of race.”
Allred went on to endorse Talarico’s main Democratic opponent, Rep. Jasmine Crockett. Allred had been running for the Democratic Senate nomination against Talarico, but he switched to a House campaign after Crockett jumped into the race. He told NBC News that he was moved to speak out in part because Black voters are so crucial to the state — and he suggested Talarico would not be able to win their support.
“If you can speak that way about me, then you don’t have the requisite respect, understanding, empathy to represent, but also to receive the support of, Black voters in Texas, in my opinion,” said Allred, who described the comment as “dismissive and offensive.”
Primary divisions: In an interview with NBC Dallas-Fort Worth, Talarico recently acknowledged that he is trailing among Black voters, noting polling has also shown he is not as well known.
“I’m the new kid on the block and I’ve got to do the work to introduce myself to voters all over this state, to earn their trust, earn their respect and earn their support,” Talarico said. “That’s why I’m going to every corner of Texas.”
While Crockett has built up an advantage among Black voters, Talarico has had an edge among Latino voters, according to the limited public polling that’s been available.
Crockett told NBC News that she is also working to appeal to Latino voters and said she believes she is particularly strong among Hispanic women.
Crockett suggested some in the Latino community had been “gaslit” about comments she made in 2024 during an interview with Vanity Fair, where she likened Latino immigrants’ views of undocumented immigrants to a “slave mentality.” Crockett said she believes the comments were taken out of context, adding, “I’m a Black woman, so I relate things to the Black experience.”
With a primary divided in part along racial lines, the challenge for the eventual nominee will be to win over voters of all races and build a broad enough coalition to win the traditionally Republican state.
🗞️ Today's other top stories
- 🗳️ Election night: A crowded field of Democrats are competing today to advance to the special general election in New Jersey’s 11th District, which was previously represented by Gov. Mikie Sherrill. Polls close at 8 p.m. ET. Follow the results here →
- 🚫 Not so fast: Officials in Atlanta, Philadelphia and Detroit this week vowed to defend local control of elections after Trump floated the idea that Republicans should “nationalize” elections. Read more →
- 🔴 Party foul: Congressional Republicans are on the brink of an internal clash over the SAVE Act, a high priority for Trump that would overhaul election laws nationwide and require proof of citizenship to vote. Read more →
- 💲 Add it up: The Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard to the nation’s capital has cost taxpayers more than $330 million, according to a new report from Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Read more →
- 🇷🇺 From Russia with love: The last major nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the U.S. expires today, ushering in an era without caps set by the world’s largest nuclear powers. Read more →
- 💍 In the states: A bill making its way through the Indiana Legislature would require public schools to teach the importance of getting married before having children. Read more →
That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner.
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