Texas governor hopeful Gina Hinojosa criticized President Joe Biden’s immigration handling during an interview about enforcement in Texas. She said Biden failed to lead, remained mostly silent, and hid from the issue during his presidency. Her remarks focused attention on how Democrats should address immigration after their 2024 election losses.
The exchange came during a Politico interview examining Hinojosa’s approach to ICE and immigration policy in Texas. She said governors cannot decide whether to abolish ICE and that she had not considered that proposal. However, she called current immigration enforcement “unacceptable” and said it makes people less safe.
She supported a path to legality for longtime residents who are hardworking and law-abiding. She said most Texans want a solution that keeps communities and families intact. She blamed Washington for failing to produce that solution.
Later, Politico asked whether Democrats needed to speak more directly about immigration enforcement. Hinojosa answered that Biden’s problem was that “he didn’t lead on immigration.” She added, “He was silent, mostly. He hid from it,” and said the approach hurt Democrats.
She called for Democratic leaders willing to “do the hard work” and develop solutions.
Gina Hinojosa Faces Pushback Over Biden Immigration Remarks
Hinojosa’s assessment quickly drew pushback from users who disputed her description of Biden’s immigration leadership.
“Biden didn’t lead on immigration?” one user questioned. Another answered more sharply: “He led us into an immigration nightmare.”
“He was most definitely not silent,” another response stated. A separate user dismissed Hinojosa’s characterization entirely: “Utter nonsense. The Biden administration lead them here.”
Others defended Biden while pointing to congressional negotiations. “Biden had a bipartisan bill and Trump told Republicans to reject it. How do you not remember this?” one user wrote.
Another argued, “You can criticize him for not taking executive action sooner, but the fact is he had a bipartisan immigration bill.”
Immigration remains central to Hinojosa’s campaign for Texas governor. Some of her proposed changes would also require federal action.
