<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Texas Democratic Senate nominee <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/james-talarico/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Talarico</a> on Wednesday called for a pathway to citizenship for <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/illegal-immigrants/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">undocumented immigrants</a> residing in the United States. <br /><br />Talarico expressed his views during an interview with Fox News’s <em>The Story</em> in <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/texas/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Texas</a>, where he stated, “I think we should include a pathway to citizenship for folks who have been here for years and decades, folks who don’t pose a threat to public safety.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Texas state representative specified that a pathway to citizenship should include “paying back taxes, learning English, and passing a criminal background check.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“If they can meet all of those standards, I think they should be eligible for citizenship,” said Talarico.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Talarico described himself as a “border security Democrat” who supports strong vetting measures to ensure that criminals do not enter the U.S.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“We should know who’s coming into our country. It’s why I’m a border security Democrat. Let me say something a lot of Democrats won’t say,” Talarico stated. “It is not racist to want to know who’s coming into your country, and I believe that, and it’s why we need to make sure that we know exactly who is coming into our country. We need to have a full, orderly vetting process to ensure that we are keeping Americans and Texans safe.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Polls indicate that Talarico is in a competitive race against Texas Attorney General <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/ken-paxton/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ken Paxton</a> (R) for the position to succeed Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) this November.</p>