By Ted Hesson and Alexandra Ulmer

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Texas Governor Greg Abbott deployed thousands of National Guard soldiers to the border with the United States in the last year. He also began building a border wall and detained migrants who were trespassing onto private property.

Two-term Republican Governor, the governor took the initiative in opposition to Democratic President Joe Biden’s Immigration Reforms. He was endorsed by Donald Trump.

As Abbott is seeking a third term, however, his opponents in the March 1 Republican nominations contest claim he still hasn’t been tough enough about illegal immigration.

Allen West, an ex-Republican U.S. Representative, believes Texas should arrest or deport all illegal entry to the United States. States are not allowed to make this decision if the federal government is unwilling to act. West says the “porous frontier” is evidence of Abbott’s failure to follow through.

Don Huffines is a former senator and businessman who wants Texas to shut down its Mexican bridges to all inbound traffic. He also plans to deploy the entire state’s National Guard at the border.

Renae Emze, spokesperson for Abbott denied any criticism of governor Abbott’s immigrant record. Renae stated that Texas had to act after Biden “abdicated”.

Although Abbott is leading West and Huffines in opinion polls, Abbott will face the fiercest gubernatorial primary challenge of his life. Even the most staunch Republican border-hawks will be under increasing pressure in the lead up to the election to make the issue more difficult. This is evident from the attacks he has received from his right side.

Trump changed the party’s immigration strategy after his successful 2016 campaign. Trump used nativist language often to express his ambitions, including building a wall along the Mexican border. Trump’s power continues even though he lost the 2020 presidency. This election cycle shows that not all candidates have gone further.

James Henson of the University of Texas Texas Politics Project, said “Immigration and border security are the most important issues for Republicans.” Henson stated that Republican primary voters appear to be hungry for strict immigration laws.

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A University of Texas poll in October 2021 found that 68% of Texas Republicans consider border security and immigration to be the most pressing issues facing their state. And although Abbott’s immigrant policies are generally supported by Republicans, surveys suggest that they need more.

Abbott’s rivals have proposed tougher border policies, showing how Republican candidates seek to out-Trump each others on an issue which remains a powerful motivating force for its primary voters, despite tensions over COVID policy and economic issues dominating the headlines.

For Republicans who are competing in primaries, taking a hard stance against immigration can help them stand out without facing backlash from voters. Alex Conant is a Republican strategist.

Republicans in the United States have made immigration their main focus going into the Nov. 8, congressional election. Democrats may lose control of Congress and that could thwart Biden’s legislative agenda.

Candidates have the opportunity to tap into voters’ outrage about the record-breaking number of attempted border crossings, and the high cost of providing services for migrants. This message is amplified through the popular conservative media such as Fox News.

Liberal advocacy organizations claim Republicans are demonizing immigrants who came to the United States to seek refuge. They also distort the economic consequences of immigration and try to capitalize on the xenophobic fear over the fate the country’s majority white population.

“EVERY STATE IS A BODER STATE”

Some Republican hopefuls are looking to Stephen Miller as a source of inspiration, in order to reaffirm their hardline immigration credentials.

Miller said that he was formally advising Republican hedge funds CEO David McCormick(NYSE:) during his campaign to win a U.S. Senate spot in Pennsylvania. Informally, he also talked with other candidates.

McCormick visited Yuma, Arizona last week. It is approximately 2,400 miles (3.900 km) away from Harrisburg in Pennsylvania. He stated in writing that “every state is border when Joe Biden or his administration incentivize illicit immigration.”

Kari lake, the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate for Governor, has stated that she supports Texas’s border crackdown and will continue to push it further.

Lake, an ex-Fox News anchor, is looking to form an alliance of like-minded states in order to deport undocumented immigrants to the United States. That’s a federal responsibility.

Some Republican primaries are now focusing on legal immigration. This was once an important plank in the party’s probusiness stance.

Trump-backed Joe Kent (an Army veteran who is running against U.S. Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler in Washington’s primary election) said, “We must have a complete immigration moratorium.” Kent claims that too many H-1B visa holders are taking tech jobs, which is a skilled-worker program with majority Indian recipients.

We will see if there are enough supporters for the hardliners. The field of Republican candidates to be Arizona governor is narrowly led by Lake. McCormick entered Pennsylvania’s race for U.S. Senate about one month ago. However, public polling is still not able to assess his standing.

According to analysts, Washington’s electoral system will favour moderates such as Herrera Beutler, which sees all candidates on the primaries together, and only the two top vote-winners move on to the general.

NumbersUSA is a conservative advocacy group pushing for lower immigration levels. However, it said that it received more than normal responses to its election-year survey among candidates. The results of the survey ask them to rank their hardline immigration positions. This suggests candidates want to be Trumpesque.

“A few years ago, it was ‘Legal Immigration good, illegal immigrants bad.’ “That was the Republican mantra,” said Chris Chmielenski (Deputy Director). “You are starting to see less and less of it.”