Trump is targeting Latino voters. Here’s how Biden seeks to win them back

Henry Cuellar and Veronica Escobar are both Hispanic Democrats who represent districts in Texas that share a border with Mexico. But the similarities end there.

Escobar is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a spokesperson for President Joe Biden’s campaign. She has collaborated with Republican Representative Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida to write the Dignity Act, which offers a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

“In Texas I can tell you we are very eager to find solutions that help improve the border,” she says. “But I also know that people want legal pathways.”

Meanwhile, Cuellar is a conservative Democrat who has frequently jousted with progressives. His opposition to abortion rights compelled progressives like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Elizabeth Warren to support a primary challenger against him in 2020 and 2022. Both times, he beat back a primary challenge.

More recently, he’s pushed for Democrats to become more hawkish on the border. He also launched a task force of Democrats who support border security.

Cuellar opposes a border wall with Mexico as an outdated idea that wouldn’t work in reality. But in 2020, Donald Trump — the main proponent of a border wall — shocked many when he overperformed in the Rio Grande Valley area of Cuellar’s district. Zapata County flipped to the Republicans and Webb County, home of Cuellar’s hometown of Laredo, moved 30 points to the right.

“[Biden] has to show that he's a strong leader and that he's addressing the issues that are important to focus on their border security,” Cuellar says. In particular, he supports Biden using the tools left at his disposal after his recent immigration bill failed.

“He can do an