MAGA-aligned political commentator Steve Bannon claims migrant caravans are already moving north toward the United States, arguing that Democrats’ victories in Texas could encourage more people to attempt crossing the southern border.
Bannon made the remarks Wednesday on his War Room podcast during a conversation with Todd Bensman, an immigration analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation.
“They’ve already got caravans coming up. They’re all excited down in Central America that the gates are opening again,” Bannon said.
His comments came less than 24 hours after Democrats celebrated major victories in Texas, including James Talarico’s Senate win and Gina Hinojosa’s election as the state’s first Latina governor.
When The Independent asked Bannon to provide evidence for his claims, he pointed to media reports about groups of Honduran migrants traveling north ahead of the midterm elections.
Honduran Migrants Begin Journey North
According to The Tico Times, dozens of people left Honduras on Tuesday, hoping that the election results would weaken the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
“Trump is on his way out in these elections. That’s why we’re taking the risk. Here in Honduras, we have nothing left,” said Jimena Morazán, a 47-year-old woman traveling with five relatives.
The Latin Times reported that the latest group was the third significant organized caravan to leave San Pedro Sula since early fall.
Bensman argued that, although the border remains relatively quiet, migrant crossings have not stopped.
“The border is quiet, but it’s not dead. There are still lots of runners coming across,” he said.
However, President Donald Trump has repeatedly described the border as secure under his administration. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported nearly 140,000 encounters during fiscal year 2026, while the agency has also highlighted 16 consecutive months with zero releases at the border.
Texas Democrats Promise Border Security and Changes to Enforcement
Both Hinojosa and Talarico have pledged to maintain border security while criticizing the aggressive immigration enforcement tactics associated with the Trump administration and Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
In a January statement, Hinojosa said she would not allow Texas to become a staging ground for operations that, in her words, “terrorize families and enrich Abbott’s donors.”
Talarico has described his approach to border security through a metaphor on his campaign website:
“Our border should be like a front porch — it should have a welcome mat out front and a lock on the door.”
He has also argued that enforcement efforts should focus on criminal organizations and human traffickers rather than families and small-business owners.
“We should be cracking down on the cartels, not our communities. We should be deporting gang members, not small business owners. We should be hunting down human traffickers, not moms and babies,” Talarico said.
Bannon used the same “welcome mat” imagery to criticize the Democrats’ position.
“The invaders know when Democrats take control, the welcome mat is out,” he told The Independent.
The publication said it had contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Calls for National Guard Deployment
Bensman also suggested that the Trump administration could consider deploying additional federal forces if Democratic leaders in Texas change the state’s approach to border enforcement.
He pointed to the approximately 4,000 Texas National Guard troops currently deployed along the border, suggesting they could be withdrawn under the new leadership.
Bensman said the Trump administration might consider federalizing the Guard or replacing its personnel with regular Army troops to support Border Patrol operations, including tracking migrant groups and making arrests.
Trump has previously deployed National Guard troops during protests against his immigration policies in Los Angeles and as part of a federal crime crackdown in Washington, D.C. Both deployments generated significant criticism and legal challenges.
Bensman argued that federal forces should remain in place to maintain border enforcement during the remainder of Trump’s presidency.
“I think that they should be able to hold the line for a couple of years, but after Trump leaves…if there’s a Democrat in the White House, probably, it’s all gonna be on again,” he said.
The claims about a new wave of migration and the potential consequences of Democratic victories in Texas remain contested. The reports cited by Bannon document the departure of migrant groups from Honduras, but do not by themselves establish the size or future impact of any increase in arrivals at the U.S. border.
