MCALLEN, Texas – A prominent Republican businessman from Texas says he has warned GOP leaders that Hispanics will turn away from the party in the mid-term elections due to the federal government’s overreaching immigration enforcement.

Massey Villarreal, president and CEO of Precision Task Group, Inc., spoke at a meeting co-hosted by the Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Texas Hispanic Chambers of Commerce Coalition. The event, held at PNC Bank in McAllen, attracted Hispanic Chamber of Commerce leaders from across the state.

He told the chamber leaders about an op-ed he had just co-written with businessman Sam Sanchez for the Wall Street Journal titled: “Why Trump Is Quickly Losing Hispanic Support.” He asked the chamber leaders to distribute the column far and wide.

“Ahead of the 2026 midterms, Republicans are bleeding Hispanic support, driven by frustrations over economic hardship and overreaching immigration enforcement,” the op-ed stated.

Villarreal said that privately, top Republicans acknowledge that the current ICE raids have gone too far.

“The person who called me from the highest part of the Republican Party is very concerned about the Latino turnout next election. They are super-concerned. My article just put more nails in the coffin for them,” Villarreal told the chamber leaders. 

Among those concerned, Villarreal said, is Senator Majority Leader John Thune. Villarreal said he attended a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in McAllen the night before. Thune was in attendance. 

“When I talked to Leader Thune, he had seen my article (in the WSJ). I said, coming into the midterm, you guys are gonna have an epiphany. Like, wow, why didn’t we listen to the tone? And he said last night, there’s an overreach of ICE. I said, well, so you’re gonna pay for that the next election. We have to have a solution.”

Houston-based Villarreal is a member of both the American Business Immigration Coalition and Comite de 100. 

ABIC says: “Immigrants have long been a vital part of America’s success, contributing hard work, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit to our economy. However, in today’s challenging economic environment, it’s more critical than ever that we have a reliable and legal workforce to address the labor shortages in agriculture, housing, healthcare and manufacturing that also benefits everyday Americans.”

Villarreal said Comité de 100 believes in, “a balanced approach that addresses border security while respecting the dignity and contributions of immigrants.” 

The group’s website says: “We believe that 1) an orderly and secure border are essential to national stability; 2) respect for immigration laws is vital for trust in the system; 3) longterm, bipartisan solutions benefit both the economy and society; 4) mass deportations harm families, disrupt industries, and create economic instability.”

Villarreal said he and other members of Comité de 100 have taken the results of two opinion polls to Congress. He said the polls were undertaken by Republican pollsters.

“We have run two Republican polls. The last one, it came back that 84% of Latinos across the country support a solution for Dreamers and essential workers. It also showed that in battleground states, the ones that the President needs to win in the next election, that 74% of Republican primary voters support a comprehensive solution for Dreamers and essential workers. We are talking about essential workers in construction, hospitality, healthcare and agriculture.”

Villarreal told the chamber leaders: “Forty-eight percent of Latinos voted for Trump in the last election. We did a recent poll that showed 59 percent of Latinos now disapprove of the president based on ICE.”

One chamber leader asked Villarreal how can the chambers of commerce win the argument on immigration enforcement and have the government change its policies. Villarreal urged the chamber leaders, all members of the Texas Hispanic Chambers of Commerce Coalition, to unite and mobilize the strength of their membership. 

“How we are going to win this is through numbers. Every member of Congress that is running, you should ask the question, what’s the solution? (Congresswoman) Monica De La Cruz just issued a statement on having some kind of work program for construction workers. I live in Houston. I sit on the board of the Greater Chamber in Houston. We have $43 billion in construction in 2026 in Houston. If we lose ten percent of our workforce, we can’t advance the agenda of business in Houston, right?”

Villarreal added: “I’m the son of a Mexican immigrant. My dad is from Camargo, Tamaulipas, not too far from here. My dad came to this country to take advantage of the American Dream. All my family are contributors, like your families. And so we’re part of the fabric of the state and the Latino community here. The economic impact of our Latino business is impressive. And so again, I’m just here to help in any capacity, I’m happy to leverage my relationships for this organization.”