“Christ Is the Immigrant Deported Without Due Process,” Talarico Says, and Republicans Aren’t Letting It Slide

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is drawing renewed scrutiny after reposting a clip in which he says, “Christ is the immigrant deported without due process.” The line is being circulated by Senate Republicans as evidence that Talarico is using Christianity to advance a political message. But the fuller context shows the quote was not presented by Talarico as a literal statement about Jesus’ earthly life. It was part of a sermon-style reflection tied to Matthew 25, where Jesus says that what is done to “the least of these” is done to him.

I approve this message. https://t.co/MIGel2UnkL

— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) March 10, 2026

The line comes from a video Talarico originally shared in April 2025 under the caption, “Christ said what we do for ‘the least of these’ we do for him — so where is Christ today?” In that post, he continued: “Christ is the immigrant deported without due process. Christ is the senior deprived of their social security benefits,” and added other modern examples. In other words, he was applying a biblical teaching to present-day political and social issues, not claiming that the Gospel accounts literally describe Jesus as an immigrant deported under modern U.S. law.

The biblical basis for Talarico’s argument is Matthew 25:40, where Jesus says, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me,” and Matthew 25:45, which says the reverse is also true when people fail to help those in need. Those verses are commonly used by Christians across denominations to argue that serving vulnerable people is a way of serving Christ himself.

That means whether Talarico “took Jesus out of context” depends less on the raw quote than on theology and interpretation. Critics on the right argue he stretches the “least of these” teaching into a partisan policy message on immigration, Social Security and protest policing. Talarico and his supporters would say he is doing exactly what the passage invites Christians to do: apply Jesus’ words to vulnerable people in the present day.

The phrase “deported without due process” also lands in a real political and legal debate. The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has faced repeated court fights over removals, including high-profile cases involving mistaken or contested deportations and disputes over what procedural protections migrants must receive before removal. Reuters reported in 2025 that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador in what the administration itself called an “administrative error,” despite an earlier protection ruling, and AP has reported on court rulings requiring meaningful notice and an opportunity to object in some deportation contexts.

So the most accurate way to frame Talarico’s remark is this: he was not quoting a Bible verse verbatim, and he was not describing Jesus’ historical biography. He was using Matthew 25 as a political and moral analogy to argue that Christ is present in people he sees as mistreated or neglected today. Critics call that a misuse of Jesus to support a modern progressive narrative. Supporters call it a direct application of Christian teaching to public life.