The Latino vote will make or break the presidential election, and in recent months, the momentum appears to be in Donald Trump's favor. In this episode, we talk with Texas Congresswoman, Monica De La Cruz, about Trump's appeal to Hispanic voters amid the historic influx of illegal immigrants under the Biden administration. I'm Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's July 21st, and this is a Sunday edition of Morning Wire. The following interview was conducted during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Joining us now on our RNC Morning Wire booth is Texas Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz. Thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you. Excited to be here.

It's our first time talking. I'm excited to meet you in person. You said Tuesday that former President Trump is the right candidate to bring Latino voters into the Republican Party. Can you unpack what your argument is there?

Well, we already know what the President Trump and President Trump's legacy, his term in office, actually means. What it means is a secure border. What it means is low inflation for Hispanics like my district. You have to keep in mind that my district is over 80% Hispanic. In the Southernmost part, we actually touch Mexico, so over 90% Hispanic, and they want a secure border. So under Joe Biden, we have seen a crisis like never before. We know that President Trump can and will secure the border. We know under President Trump, we will have a robust economy where Hispanics can have small businesses, feed their families. And that's one of the reasons, some of the reasons that I believe President Trump will be elected by Hispanics by an overwhelming amount this year.

I want to hear more about what your voters tell you. You represent them, you're a voice for them. What are you hearing about the unprecedented border crisis that we've experienced? You guys have probably suffered a lot. What kinds of reports are you hearing about that? Has it gotten Worse? Has it gotten better in recent months? What's the state of play there?

Well, under Joe Biden, in the last couple of months that I believe his party has actually put immense pressure on him to secure the border, we We've seen a slowdown in immigration in my area. Now, I want you to understand that, again, we lie right by Mexico. And what that means is we rely on Mexico tourism. We rely on Mexico to come in and buy our products, buy our goods. And what we've seen due to immigration is a slowdown. In fact, this past weekend, I was at a local fabric shop, downtown McAllen, and The owner said, There's nobody in my store. The Mexican population is not coming over because of the illegal immigration. And what we're finding is that it's affecting small businesses. It's affecting the people in our community when it comes to law enforcement. Why is that? Because our law enforcement actually has to back up Border Patrol because of the numbers that have come across. Now, with that in mind, I want you to know that our area, being largely Hispanic, they migrated legally. For them, there is immense pride to be in this country legally. Sure. They get very frustrated that people are coming across illegally.

They're getting benefits. They're being flown to any destination in the country that they please. This is very frustrating for people who are coming through the right way.

Now, Trump has recently announced that J. D. Vance is his running mate. This is a big deal. It's been people have been waiting for a long time. Last second announcement, first day of the RNC. How do you feel that impacts the Latino vote? Does it impact the Latino vote?

Absolutely. I am so excited about his pick. I think it was the right choice. J. D. Vance is young. He's dynamic. He's the true embodiment of the American dream. This is a gentleman that not only served his country in the military, but he came from extreme poverty, worked his way through law school to attain one of the highest positions in the land to become a senator. Look, Hispanics are also the largest, youngest population. Okay? So Hispanics are the youngest population in the nation, so they can connect with Vans. And what I believe it shows is that President Trump is thinking about the country's future, which I believe is his Hispanic vote. I think it was the right choice. Vance will connect with young Hispanic voters and move the party to the future.

I want to broaden out a little bit and talk about Texas in general. It's always discussed as a battleground state, and maybe the Republicans are going to lose it this year. What is your sense on the ground from Texas about support for Republicans and Democrats, how things are shaping up in the state?

This is a battleground state, especially in my district, Texas 15, which begins on the south end in McAllen, Texas, and then goes straight up to the area in between San Antonio and Austin. Remember, this district was blue for over 100 years, and we flipped it with a Republican, we flipped it with a woman, and most importantly, a a bilingual Hispanic woman that was born and raised on the border. When I come out on the national stage, as I will in this convention, what happens is Democrats cringe because they don't want a Latina who speaks Spanish talking about securing the border. That goes against their narrative. So this is a battleground district and a battleground state because they want to take back the house, and they want this seat to do it.

Former President Trump was shot just days ago. I'd like to get your reaction to that. Has it changed anything for you? Has it changed the mood here? What have you seen? What are you feeling about, though?

That was a tragic day, and we kept the President and his family in prayer. We also prayed for the Patriot who passed away that day, heroically saving his family. For my community and for me, it was shocking, of course, for all Americans. But it most impacted my district because we are largely Hispanic. Many families, like my own, fled from countries in Latin America because of political persecution. They came to this country because of democracy. They came here because of freedom and American dream. When Hispanics in my district saw what was happening and how President Trump has been persecuted, has been almost assassinated, they thought, This is not America. This is not the America that we came here for, for the American dream. But this is America under Joe Biden, and that's why they're going to get out and they're going to vote for President Trump.

Thank you so much for talking with us. Great to meet you, and we'll talk again, I hope soon. I pray so. That was Texas Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz, and this has been an extra edition of Morning Wire.