Democrats can commit to strong border security while also standing for an immigration system that meets the country’s needs, Senate candidate Jasmine Crockett said Sunday in an interview with El Paso Matters.
“I think that we need to be very much to the point and say that we believe in border security, and then I think that we need to be clear and concise about what border security looks like,” Crockett, a congresswoman from Dallas, said after a campaign event in El Paso.
“I think Democrats have just kind of been scared to talk about it, because they have tried to make it seem like if you mentioned border security, then you’re anti-immigration,” she said. “And that’s why I’m always trying to draw the distinction (between border security and immigration policy), because I do believe in a pathway to citizenship. I do believe that it’s a travesty that Dreamers are kind of stuck in this random space.”
Improved use of technology makes more sense than building walls as a means of securing a 3,000-mile long border, Crockett said.
Crockett also stressed the distinction between border enforcement and immigration during an event at Destiny Church in Northeast El Paso that drew more than 500 people, including those in an overflow room once the main hall filled up. Her campaign stop came nine days before the March 3 Democratic primary, with five days of early voting remaining.
Jasmine Crockett speaks at her Community Conversations campaign rally on Feb. 22, 2026. (Brandy Ruiz/El Paso Matters)
She answered questions for 45 minutes from Eddie Sinegal Sr., pastor of Northeast Bible Restoration Church, and El Paso attorney Karen Dykes.
Dykes said it “was frustrating that it seems like most Dems aren’t like you,” a reference to Crockett’s willingness to directly challenge the Trump administration on numerous issues.
Crockett said that many of her congressional colleagues – Republicans and Democrats – are afraid in the current political environment.
“Y’all understand that this president operates more like a gangster than a president,” she said.
“When you are on the other side of him, the dangers are real,” Crockett said.
Her primary rival for the Democratic Senate nomination, state Rep. James Talarico of Austin, campaigned in El Paso on Saturday.
The winner of the Democratic primary will face the victor in a spirited Republican primary featuring incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston.
Senate candidate Jasmine Crockett, a congresswoman from Dallas, took selfies with supporters after her campaign event in Northeast El Paso on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
Whoever wins the November election will be able to have seven district offices across the state. No senator has had a district office in El Paso – Texas’ largest city west of Interstate 35 – since 2001.
“This almost feels like a trick question, it’s so easy. The answer is yes,” Crockett said. She said her congressional office has prioritized accessibility to constituents across her district, and building relationships with local elected officials.
Talarico committed on Saturday to open a district office in El Paso if elected.
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