Rep tied to cartel operative claims white nationalists infiltrate immigration enforcement to target migrants

A Democratic congressional candidate in South Texas is facing criticism for comments that critics claim paint Border Patrol agents as racist. Bobby Pulido, a former Latin music star challenging Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz, made controversial remarks during a recent podcast interview that have intensified the already heated race in this border district.

During his appearance on the “Mind of Geniuz” podcast, Pulido suggested that Republican immigration policies are fundamentally motivated by racial concerns. “It’s always down to race,” Pulido stated, accusing the Trump administration and Republicans of being driven by “the theory of white replacement” rather than legitimate border security concerns.

“When President Trump ran, he ran on getting rid of the bad guys. They lied to us,” Pulido said during the interview. “It’s race. It’s always down to race. And I hate to say this, because I hate to inflame it, but I’m going to call it out because that is what it is.”

Though Pulido clarified that he did not want to “demonize law enforcement,” he went on to claim that “a lot of the people that are joining [immigration enforcement], not all of them… there’s a lot of white nationalists that want to join because they want to go hunt down people.”

These comments have drawn sharp rebuke from Rep. De La Cruz’s campaign, which characterized them as deeply insulting to Border Patrol agents. The campaign emphasized that over 50 percent of Border Patrol personnel are Hispanic, with approximately 3,100 agents serving in the Rio Grande Valley Sector where the congressional district is located.

A spokesperson for De La Cruz highlighted the community connections between the incumbent and local law enforcement. “The Border Patrol agents our opponent insults are the same people she spends Friday nights with at a carne asada, sees at her kids’ schools, and prays with at church on Sunday,” the spokesperson said.

Paul Perez, president of the National Border Patrol Council, weighed in on the controversy, stating, “Bobby Pulido insults the Border Patrol agents protecting our community… The agents who patrol this border, most of them Hispanic, know exactly whose side Bobby Pulido is on. It isn’t ours.”

Pulido’s campaign has dismissed the criticism as politically motivated. “These desperate attacks prove one thing, the GOP establishment is in full panic mode because Mentirosa [Spanish for ‘liar’] Monica De La Cruz is running a dumpster fire of a campaign and they know they’re going to lose,” a campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

The spokesperson added, “Bobby Pulido has family and friends who serve in Border Patrol and he has been a lifelong supporter of our law enforcement — South Texas knows that and they’re going to make it loud and clear in November.”

This controversy adds to a growing list of challenges for Pulido’s campaign. He has previously faced scrutiny over a resurfaced music video depicting lewd acts and his long-time association with a bandmate later convicted as a child sex offender. Pulido has denied knowledge of his former bandmate’s criminal activity and stated he immediately severed ties upon learning about the conviction.

Critics have also questioned Pulido’s appearance alongside Julión Álvarez, who has been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for alleged cartel connections. Pulido’s campaign has downplayed this connection, stating that despite referring to Álvarez as “amigo” in a social media post, the two are not friends and that Republicans misunderstand cultural expressions.

The race in Texas’s border district has significant implications for both parties as they vie for control of the House of Representatives. Immigration and border security remain central issues for voters in the region, which has experienced the direct impacts of changing federal policies over multiple administrations.

As November approaches, this contest exemplifies the increasingly polarized nature of political discourse around immigration, with each side accusing the other of misrepresenting complex border security challenges for political gain.