By Trendsetter Tribune 
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has spent years standing shoulder to shoulder with President Donald Trump on immigration, but this week he quietly signaled that even allies see cracks forming.
In a Monday interview on the Mark Davis Show podcast, Abbott acknowledged that the White House now faces a serious trust problem when it comes to immigration enforcement. While stopping short of outright criticism, the Texas governor said federal leaders need to “recalibrate” their approach if they want public confidence restored.
“That’s not an easy task,” Abbott admitted, adding that the administration is working on a new game plan to get back to its original goal: removing people from the country.
Abbott, whose state covers the largest stretch of the U.S.–Mexico border, used the moment to contrast Texas with Minnesota, where recent ICE operations have sparked protests and deadly encounters. He blamed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for what he described as a failure of leadership, claiming Texas sees fewer clashes because officials there haven’t “incited violence.”
That claim, however, glosses over reality. Texas cities including Austin, Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio have all seen significant anti-ICE protests in recent months. Abbott also offered no evidence showing how Walz or Frey encouraged unrest.
Notably, Abbott isn’t the only Texas Republican urging change. Former GOP lawmaker Jerry Patterson sharply criticized ICE after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, calling the agency’s current leadership unacceptable and demanding a reset.
For an administration that prides itself on unity around immigration enforcement, Abbott’s remarks suggest something important: even the strongest allies are starting to worry that the strategy — and the optics — are spiraling out of control.