U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson pledges support for border patrol, law enforcement if elected

U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson said Tuesday she would support U.S. Border Patrol agents and law enforcement as the National Border Patrol Council endorsed her campaign for U.S. Senate.

Paul Perez, president of the National Border Patrol Council, joined Hinson at a news conference in Urbandale where he said Hinson, working with the Trump administration, helped border patrol agents get the resources needed “to finally secure the border once and for all.”

“There is no doubt in my mind; she is here to fight to make sure that Iowa is a secure state,” Perez said. “For the last four years of the Biden administration, we underwent the biggest transformation in border security history. We went from the highest of the highs to the lowest of the lows, and believe me when I tell you, that low was unbelievably low. … Now states like Iowa, every other state is a border state, and states like Iowa have to deal with the aftermath of having a completely unsecure border, in which millions of people were allowed through unvetted.”

Perez said there is “no stronger advocate for border security for your families” than Hinson, who has served in the U.S. House since 2021.

He contrasted Hinson’s border security stance with her Democratic opponent, state Rep. Josh Turek. In campaign ads, Turek has emphasized he supports border security efforts, including in an ad released Tuesday titled “Safety” that features Iowa law enforcement officers speaking about Turek’s vote in support of a 2024 law making illegal immigration a state crime in Iowa, which allows state officials to carry out certain immigration law enforcement actions.

Another ad released earlier in October features Turek meeting with Border Patrol agents in Laredo, Texas.

“I came to the border to meet firsthand with the people who work to keep it secure,” Turek says in the ad. “What happens down here affects us up in Iowa, so we’ve got to address it.”

But Hinson — as well as Perez — argued at the news conference that Turek supported defunding law enforcement, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol. Hinson referenced Turek’s statement during the primary campaign season that he he would not support funding for U.S. Department of Homeland Security unless there were “fundamental reforms to ICE.” This call came after two U.S. citizens were killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier in 2026.

The Democratic candidate affirmed this was his position in an “Iowa Press” debate with Hinson.

“I think that we can have a couple of things be true at the same time. First, we need to have safe and secure borders. … But at the same time, I think we can recognize that we need to have a pathway to earned citizenship for those that have come here legally,” Turek said. “… I think we can all agree that we don’t want to see Americans shot in the street.”

Hinson said this statement showed Turek wants to “defund” ICE and border security.

“This election presents a very clear choice: I will fund law enforcement and border security. Josh Turek would defund it, as he said at our debate last week,” Hinson said. “So think about that. He would side with Chuck Schumer and Washington liberals over the men and women that are working hard to protect our border every single day, he’d put their liberal agenda ahead of the safety of Iowa families. Tell that to Iowa mom Michelle Root, whose daughter Sarah Root was killed by an illegal immigrant driving drunk. Tell that to the families of Laken Riley and Rachel Morin, who were murdered by criminal illegal aliens. I refuse to let that happen to another family.”

Hinson referenced the Laken Riley Act, an immigration law she voted for in the U.S. House which was signed shortly after President Donald Trump took office. The law expanded mass detention for immigrants charged or arrested for certain crimes.

A campaign spokesperson for Turek criticized Hinson for opposing “the bipartisan border deal that was endorsed by Border Patrol agents and called the “most restrictive,” “toughest,” “most stringent,” and “most conservative border bill in recent history,” a measure that failed in the U.S. Senate in 2024.

“Josh Turek is the only person in this race who has actually worked across the aisle to address immigration,” the spokesperson for Turek’s campaign said. “In the U.S. Senate, he’ll work with anyone – including President Trump – to secure the border and support law enforcement.”

Hinson also said Congress has taken action to address concerns about immigration agents’ use of force.

“By the end of August, every ICE agent should have been trained and have a body camera, and we’re working on making sure that our border patrol agents can as well,” Hinson said. “That helps protect law enforcement, and that helps protect our communities.”