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AMNA NAWAZ: Well, immigration 
remains a thorny and top issue 
with voters this election year.

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I spoke earlier with 
Representative Veronica 
Escobar, a Democrat 
from the border state of

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Texas. She has unique insight 
into the problem and ideas about 
how her party can address it.

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Congresswoman, welcome 
back to the "News Hour." 
Thanks for being here.

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REP. VERONICA ESCOBAR 
(D-TX): Thanks for having me.

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AMNA NAWAZ: So, let's 
start with your race down 
in Texas. You're facing a

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Republican this fall that you 
have already defeated twice. 
And this is in a district

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where issues like immigration 
and the economy remain 
top of mind for voters.

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And these are issues that 
Republicans really still 
have the trust advantage,

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nationally, at least. How do you 
win again? What's the message?

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REP. VERONICA ESCOBAR: 
Well, thankfully,

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my community knows me. I 
served in local government 
before I was in Congress.

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But we work really hard to 
share with the community all 
of the victories that we have

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achieved under the 
Biden/Harris administration. 
And in an economically 
disadvantaged community

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like mine, those dollars 
make a huge difference. Major 
infrastructure investments,

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lowering the cost of 
prescription drugs, capping 
insulin, all of that helps.

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And as long as people know 
that Democrats delivered and 
they know that we have a story

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to tell, we have got 
a great story to tell, 
people are ready to listen.

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AMNA NAWAZ: What are 
the lessons that the 
Harris/Walz ticket can learn

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from how you're able to 
win in your district, 
especially on the economy?

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REP. VERONICA ESCOBAR: 
Yes. AMNA NAWAZ: And 
we're talking on a day,

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we should note, that those 
jobs numbers since March 
have been revised downward.

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It's really tough. What's the 
best message for Harris/Walz 
to deliver on this issue?

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REP. VERONICA ESCOBAR: 
Well, they're doing it. And

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they're doing a great 
job in their rallies and 
in these conversations.

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And, obviously, the work 
that the Biden/Harris 
campaign was doing out -- 
the work on the ground,

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those conversations, the 
Harris/Walz campaign has 
been able to capitalize 
on. But -- but,

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really, like, we have 
to tell the story.

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And Vice President Harris has 
been talking very specifically,

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not just about what we 
have accomplished together,

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but people also want to 
know what's ahead. And she's 
talked about housing. And,

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really, it starts with 
empathy, understanding that 
people are still hurting. 
They still need help.

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So she's been talking about 
housing, about price gouging,

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about bringing down the cost 
of prescription drugs. That's 
where Americans are feeling a

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lot of hurt economically 
and in the pocketbook. 
And the response is,

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we hear you, we see you, 
we understand, and here's 
our plan going forward.

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AMNA NAWAZ: On immigration 
specifically, which is I 
know an issue you have to

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message on quite a bit and 
something your community feels 
in a very front-line way,

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we have seen border numbers come 
down dramatically this year.

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But I remember speaking with 
you when folks in your district 
were on the front lines of

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a real surge and how it was 
impacting your community 
there. We know part of

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Vice President Harris' 
portfolio was to address 
those root causes,

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right, down in countries 
where people were being forced 
to flee in the first place.

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Folks will look at that 
and say it's only gotten

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worse in the last few years. Is 
that a vulnerability for her?

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REP. VERONICA ESCOBAR: 
It shouldn't be.

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But, according to the polling, 
it is. And so you're seeing 
the Harris/Walz campaign lean

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in on immigration, on the 
border, pointing out the 
fact that Donald Trump 
essentially has told

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his party to run away from 
any solutions. And, frankly, 
it's been a decade of that.

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We know that, in 2013, in 2018, 
and obviously, this year, in 
2024, there have been efforts in

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Congress. And this is a 
congressional responsibility. 
There have been efforts

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in Congress to address 
this issue. And each one 
of those years, it's been

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Republicans who have either 
obstructed or run away 
from a potential solution.

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But, this year, Donald 
Trump actually embraced 
that language. He said,

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blame me if you get 
criticized for running away 
from it. He said openly,

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I don't want a solution. 
I want the problem.

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They exploit the border. 
They exploit immigration. 
The only person who's

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serious about policy are the 
Democrats and specifically 
Vice President Harris.

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AMNA NAWAZ: Specifically, 
among Latino voters right now,

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we heard from the CEO of 
Voto Latino yesterday, 
Maria Teresa Kumar,

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that they have seen a surge 
in support since the ticket 
switched for the Democrats.

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Vice President Harris 
is still not to the same 
levels that President 
Biden was in 2020, though.

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REP. VERONICA ESCOBAR: Yes.

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AMNA NAWAZ: And we have 
seen a drop in enthusiasm 
in presidential races 
over about 10 or 12 years

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now among Latinos for 
Democrats. What was fueling 
that? How do you get them back?

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REP. VERONICA ESCOBAR: We 
get them back by meeting 
them where they are,

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by listening to them and, 
as Vice President Harris 
says, by earning their votes.

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I have been going into the 
battleground states. I have been 
to Pennsylvania. I have been to

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Wisconsin. I have been 
to Nevada. I have been to 
Arizona speaking directly 
with Latino voters,

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having roundtable 
conversations, talking to 
grassroots organizers.

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And we, the Democratic Party and 
the Republican Party, have taken 
Latino voters for granted for

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too long. That was not the 
case with the Biden/Harris 
campaign. We started early

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with Latino voters. We 
launched Latinos con Biden and 
Harris. And when the switch

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was made and the torch 
was passed, Vice President 
Harris has taken that mantle.

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And we are going into 
these communities,

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telling them they matter, 
telling them we care about 
them, listening to them.

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AMNA NAWAZ: You think 
that outreach will 
make a difference here?

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REP. VERONICA ESCOBAR: 
I do. I really do.

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Latinos have said for 
a long time, and not 
just about Republicans,

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not just about Democrats, 
that they feel taken for 
granted. We are not taking them

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for granted. So we're going 
after them. They have got 
incredible power. We have

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incredible power in the Latino 
community to influence the 
outcome of this election. And

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we're going directly to them 
to tell them we care about them 
and we want them to be with us.

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AMNA NAWAZ: Congresswoman 
Veronica Escobar of Texas, thank 
you so much for being here.

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REP. VERONICA ESCOBAR: 
Thank you. AMNA NAWAZ: 
Really appreciate your time.

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REP. VERONICA ESCOBAR: 
Appreciate you.