U.S. Sen.-elect James Talarico (D-Texas) called for a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants and universal health care during a Thursday speech outlining his priorities after Democrats’ November 3 election victories.
Talarico spoke at the “What’s Next” conference in Denver and shared a video of the remarks on X.
“We must pass universal healthcare,” Talarico told the crowd.
“We must overhaul this broken immigration system and pass a pathway to citizenship for our neighbors who have been here for years or decades,” he added.
State Rep.-elect Armin Mizani (R-District 98) told The Dallas Express that Talarico’s proposals would expand federal authority while overlooking longstanding concerns about immigration enforcement and health care affordability.
“James Talarico’s vision for America is more government control over healthcare and sweeping legal status for those who entered our country illegally, while millions have waited patiently to immigrate the right way,” Mizani said.
“Today’s healthcare crisis is a result of the failures of Obamacare, which expanded Washington’s role in healthcare. Americans were promised affordable coverage, yet to this day families continue to face skyrocketing premiums, high deductibles, and fewer choices. More of the same is not the practical solution Texans deserve.”
“Texans deserve meaningful healthcare reform that lowers costs, increases competition, and puts patients first. We also deserve a secure border and an immigration system that respects the rule of law rather than rewarding and incentivizing illegal immigration.”
State Rep. David Lowe (R-District 91) also criticized Talarico, arguing that the proposals conflict with the senator-elect’s campaign emphasis on affordability.
“James Talarico made affordability his top concern on the campaign trail. He isn’t even sworn in, and he’s already abandoned that principle for partisan politics. Universal health care and mass amnesty will drive up costs, and socialist programs like these destroy the middle class,” Lowe said.
Citizenship and enforcement
Talarico’s immigration platform calls for a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who have lived in the country the longest and certain groups, including spouses and people brought to the country as children. It also proposes temporary work permits for some recent arrivals.
His platform calls for ICE to prioritize deportations of criminals, gang members and human traffickers over other illegal immigrants whom he says pose no public safety threat. It also calls for banning ICE agents from wearing masks or refusing to identify themselves. His Denver remarks did not spell out a full set of eligibility rules or application requirements for the citizenship proposal.
The debate comes as the Migration Policy Institute estimated that approximately 15.8 million illegal immigrants lived in the United States in mid-2024, up from approximately 10.8 million in 2019. Its statistical category includes some people with temporary protections, humanitarian parole or pending asylum applications, rather than counting only people without any protection from deportation.
Health care costs
Talarico’s health care platform proposes expanding Medicare eligibility to Americans of any age through a government insurance option alongside private coverage. Neither the platform nor his Denver remarks provide a detailed financing plan.
The Dallas Express reached out to Talarico for comment but did not receive a response.
