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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.