O’Rourke Pledges Wide Immigrant Amnesty if Democrats Return to Power

Former U.S. representative Beto O’Rourke told supporters at a weekend rally in Austin that, if Democrats regain control of the White House and Congress, the party should act swiftly to legalize millions of undocumented immigrants. Speaking Saturday at “The People vs. The Power Grab,” an event protesting Republican-led redistricting, O’Rourke said Democrats should “drive that car like we stole it,” pledging to provide citizenship not only to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients but also to their parents and other undocumented workers he described as essential to the economy. O’Rourke’s call for an aggressive immigration overhaul comes as he faces separate legal pressure in Texas. Attorney General Ken Paxton last week obtained a temporary restraining order barring O’Rourke and his group, Powered by People, from fundraising for state lawmakers who fled the Capitol in 2021 to block a redistricting vote. Paxton alleges the organization engaged in unlawful fundraising practices. O’Rourke has denied wrongdoing.