Twenty-six Republican members and nominees of the Texas House of Representatives have issued an open letter rebuking a Mexican senator’s call for binational cooperation on border policy, arguing his correspondence amounts to an attempt by a foreign government to influence Texas politics during an election year.
The letter, led by State Rep. Andy Hopper (R–Decatur) and addressed to Mexican Sen. Juan Carlos Loera De la Rosa, was signed by 21 sitting state representatives and five Republican nominees.
“We have received your July 13, 2026 letter addressed to Republican legislators in Texas and other border states,” the lawmakers wrote. “Its timing, substance, and selective omissions leave little doubt about its purpose. During a critical election year in Texas, your correspondence reads less like an invitation to cooperation and more like an attempt to inject the political priorities of a foreign government into the domestic affairs of the State of Texas.”
Loera’s original letter condemned the deaths of migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border and invited Republican lawmakers in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California, and members of Congress representing those states to participate in “structured, bipartisan collaboration” on border policy. He argued that “a secure border and a humane border are not competing goals” and said “the dignity and the life of every migrant must take precedence over any enforcement measure.”
The Texas lawmakers rejected that premise, arguing their foremost responsibility is to Texans.
“Our first obligation is to protect the lives, liberties, property, and constitutional rights of the citizens we were elected to serve,” they wrote. “The dignity and security of Texans will always come before the demands of those who choose to violate our laws.”
The legislators also defended Texas’ border security efforts while criticizing Mexico for failing to stop cartel activity.
“We also reject any suggestion that Texas should receive lectures on border security from a government that has allowed powerful criminal cartels to dominate vast regions of its territory,” the letter states, arguing Mexico should secure its own borders, eliminate cartel infrastructure, and cooperate in disrupting transnational criminal enterprises before seeking legislative collaboration.
The letter cites Texas Department of Public Safety data on criminal charges involving illegal immigrants and argues unlawful immigration imposes billions of dollars in costs on Texas taxpayers through education, healthcare, law enforcement, and other public services.
Concluding their response, the lawmakers pledged to continue enforcing immigration laws and defending Texas’ border without foreign influence.
“Texas remains committed to secure borders, constitutional government, and the sovereign right of every nation to enforce its immigration laws without interference from foreign governments,” the letter states. “Texas First. Texas Forever.”
