By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews
PLANO, Texas — A standing-room crowd filled the Plano Event Center for a town hall with State Rep. James Talarico, where he delivered prepared remarks, took questions from the audience, and addressed issues ranging from public education and healthcare costs to artificial intelligence and immigration enforcement.
“This is not a rally. This is a town hall. This is a conversation,” Talarico told attendees as he opened the event.
While several topics drew strong reactions throughout the night, the loudest applause and a standing ovation came during Talarico’s comments on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), based on observations from the room.
Education and “policy is personal”
Talarico began by referencing his background before elected office. “Before I was a politician… I was a public school teacher,” he said, tying his message to a central theme: “policy is personal.”
In his opening remarks, he told the crowd he taught sixth-grade language arts in San Antonio and said he saw firsthand how decisions made by lawmakers could shape students’ lives. He referenced a period when the Texas Legislature cut the budget, which he said led to staff reductions at his school, including a therapist who had been helping students.
Talarico described one student by name — Justin — and said the student was making progress with therapy before the therapist “had been fired because of budget cuts.”
“We failed Justin… I failed Justin,” Talarico told the crowd, describing the story as a moment that stayed with him.
Teacher pay and federal priorities
Early in the Q&A, one question shifted to education funding and teacher retention. Talarico argued the country could afford major investments in public education if Congress changed spending priorities, pointing to federal tax policy as one example.
“If we… repeal the $3 trillion we gave… in the Trump tax cuts, we can afford to make sure that every single teacher in America makes at least $100,000 a year,” he said.
He also urged attendees not to let partisan conflict consume community life. “The fight is not about left versus right… It’s top versus bottom,” he said, later adding: “Fight the system, not your neighbor.”
Healthcare costs and an insulin story
Healthcare was another major focus of the town hall, with Talarico describing his own Type 1 diabetes diagnosis as an example of how quickly medical costs can escalate.
“A normal blood sugar is 100 or lower. Mine was 900,” he said, describing the emergency that led to his diagnosis. He told the audience that “that 30-day supply of insulin cost me $684.”
He also pointed to legislation he said he supported in the Texas House aimed at lowering insulin costs and limiting price increases.
Talarico argued that medical costs and access to care remain a widespread concern and said he supports expanded coverage options. “We should allow every single American… to join Medicare,” he said.
AI, surveillance, and the pace of oversight
The discussion also extended into technology and privacy, including artificial intelligence and the speed at which new tools are being adopted.
“I’m deeply alarmed that we are about to fall off this AI cliff and our government is nowhere to be seen,” Talarico said, warning that lawmakers are not keeping pace with the potential scale of change.
He suggested the economic and workforce effects could be significant and argued that government should prepare for disruptions ahead. “We have to tax these technologies and these companies,” he said.
ICE oversight drew the strongest crowd response
The strongest reaction of the night came after a question from a young attendee about ICE and immigration enforcement.
“When we win this race, we must launch a full investigation into ICE,” Talarico said, calling for federal oversight and accountability measures.
He also advocated restrictions on agents wearing masks during enforcement actions. “We must pass the law banning them… wearing masks,” he said.
Talarico contrasted the type of enforcement he criticized with what he said should be the priority focus for federal resources.
“We should be cracking down on the cartels, not our communities,” he said. “We should be deporting gang members, not small business owners.”
He added: “We should be hunting down human traffickers, not moms and babies.”
Those remarks drew sustained applause and a standing ovation from the audience.
Criminal justice and prison policy
Other parts of the town hall focused on criminal justice, incarceration, and accountability.
“We got to ban for-profit prisons in this country,” Talarico said.
He also referenced “Javier Ambler’s law,” legislation he said he passed in Texas, which he described as banning “reality TV policing” in the state. “I passed Javier Ambler’s law, which banned reality TV policing in the state of Texas,” he said.
Closing message: action and engagement
As the event concluded, Talarico urged attendees to stay engaged and involved in civic life even when politics feels exhausting.
He described what he called a practical response to discouragement, saying “the antidote to despair is action.”
He closed with a message aimed at people carrying frustration or grief, telling the crowd, “If your heart is breaking… it means you still have a heart.”
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James Talarico deserves to run this country at some point soon He is honest, intelligent, empathetic, and informed. He listens to all sides, has morals, and yet doesn’t shove his Christianity down anyone’s throat. In fact, he welcomes the ideas and philosophies of all faiths. This man is simply AMAZING. He needs to be elected over and over and over until he’s in the White House.