One of the many issues that voters showed Democrats they were out of step on was illegal immigration, which has played a role in flipping several Hispanic districts along the border. That includes Starr County, whose 97% Hispanic population makes it the most Hispanic county in the country. Starr County backed Hillary Clinton in 2016 by 60 points, backed Joe Biden by five points in 2020, and flipped to support Donald Trump by 16 points on Tuesday.

The border crisis has been front and center during Biden’s presidency, reaching even into liberal bubbles as illegal immigrants overwhelmed Democratic cities such as Chicago and New York City. People simply do not want their communities to be overwhelmed, seeing housing prices soar because of homeless shelters filled and government services cut for illegal immigrants.

Democratic governors are content to run their sanctuary policies back for another election cycle, though. Shortly after Trump won, California Attorney General Rob Bonta (who may run for governor) announced, “I can promise to the undocumented immigrant community in California that I and my team have been thinking about you for months, and the harm that might come from the Trump administration 2.0. We’ll do everything in our power and use the full authority of our office to defend you.” Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) wants to “Trump-proof” California laws, including its status as a sanctuary state.

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James are similarly game-planning to protect New York’s illegal immigrants. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, who previously announced the state would be evicting illegal immigrants from shelters because of overcrowding, announced that her state would not cooperate in deporting illegal immigrants. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has prioritized illegal immigrants throughout his tenure, thinks he is now the main character in an action movie, declaring that “a happy warrior is still a warrior” and “You come for my people, you come through me.”

There is not going to be any self-reflection from the Democratic Party as long as ambitious state leaders such as Newsom, Pritzker, and Bonta are going to revive the “Resistance”-era mindset of giving no ground no matter how unpopular or destructive the progressive policy is. That includes prioritizing and privileging illegal immigrants compared to everyone else, even as those policies were thoroughly rejected by the country on Tuesday.