Is this not the exact same rhetoric of the Trump regime? Just say they’re criminals and rapists and deport them?

You are incorrect, it is not the exact same rhetoric of the Trump regime. This is exactly what I was talking about when I said "it's hard to talk about it", the literal meaning of words have been so subverted by the right it's almost impossible to take any statement about it at face value. "Don't allow criminals to immigrate" is not a compassionate statement, but it's not a crazy one, unless a racist is saying it.

So this begs the question, do you have any proof that Talarico means what you postulate he does? I believe he's not a raging MAGA racist, based purely on the fact that the raging MAGA racists spent half a billion trying to prevent him from winning.

And just to say it, because we're on topic, this is still Texas. A lot of people here have the right-rhetoric mindset as default, it's essentially their culture. Talarico seems to have spoken to them in a way that makes them understand things need to be different, but not dramatically so. The imagery of the locked door with the welcome mat, that's a very Texas thing. We're 'the friendly state', the low info centrist swing voters can comprehend that, it makes sense to them. They want to be friendly and they want to feel safe. If you start talking to them about the illusion of safety and class warfare, they're just going to vote Republican.