Rep. Colin Allred voted on Wednesday to condemn President Joe Biden for his handling of the unlawful migration crisis at the southern border, logging a notable flip from his previous votes in favor of policies that benefited unlawful migrants.
Allred (D-TX), who represents Texas’ 32nd congressional district in the U.S. House, was one of three Democrats to vote for the resolution, along with Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX). Cuellar and Gonzalez have typically been swing votes on the issue of unlawful migration, while Allred, who is looking to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) this election cycle, has consistently voted in line with the bulk of his party on the matter.
The Dallas-area congressman voted against multiple bills meant to stem the unlawful migration crisis that the Republican-controlled House introduced over the past two years: the Secure the Border Act of 2023 and the Continuing Appropriations and Border Security Enhancement Act, both of which would have limited asylum eligibility; the Protecting our Communities from Failure to Secure the Border Act, which would have banned the use of federally administered lands for the housing of non-U.S. nationals; and the Schools Not Shelters Act, which would have banned the use of federally funded schools for the housing of unlawful migrants.
The congressman voted for several Democrat-led bills that favored unlawful migrants: the NO BAN Act, which would have limited the president’s ability to restrict unlawful migrants from entering the United States; the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021, which would have provided a path to citizenship for DREAMers; and the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which would have repealed removal proceedings for unlawful migrants who entered the country when they were minors.
Allred’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The congressman has faced criticism from his Democratic primary challenger over his decision to condemn Biden’s border policies.
“The Democratic nominee that goes up against Ted Cruz should fight tooth and nail against Trump’s dangerous so-called policies,” Texas Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio) said in a statement, according to The Texas Tribune. “If our nominee agrees with Trump and Ted Cruz’s idea of border security, then we’re in a hell of a lot of trouble.”
Allred countered this criticism by citing his bipartisan efforts for immigration reform through his cosponsoring of the Dignity Act, which is being sponsored by Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL). If enacted, the bill would “[increase] hiring for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel and [provide] removal deferral for eligible non-U.S. nationals.”
“Our immigration system is broken, and we need bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform that reflects our values and meets the needs of our economy — not more partisan stunts that lead us nowhere,” he said.