For months, Texas Republicans have warned about the dangers of “radical Islam.” After a deadly shooting at an Austin bar this weekend, the issue is now at the center of the political debate just a day ahead of the state’s primary election.
Some Republicans are now citing the attack to call for major changes to the country’s immigration system, with some demanding a ban on Muslim immigrants.
“Muslim immigrant violence — naturalized or not — is preventable,” Representative Chip Roy, who is running for Texas attorney general, posted on X. “Until Democrats (& Republicans) find the courage to say no to the mass migration of Islamists, our country will be plagued with more tragedies.”
Texas Republicans have been increasing scrutiny of the Muslim community for months, and conservative groups have warned of what they call secret “Islamist actors” who want to influence all aspects of American life. After an attack in New Orleans by a Houston man on New Year’s Day 2025, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas directed resources to “combat radical jihadist terrorism.” Since then, the state has investigated schools for partnering with Muslim groups and filed lawsuits against a Muslim-led real estate development.
Candidates in this year’s crowded Republican primary have used the issue to differentiate themselves from their opponents, with some pledging to stop what they called the “Islamification of Texas.”
Then came this weekend’s attack: A man opened fire at a bar in downtown Austin, killing three people and injuring more than a dozen. The shooter was wearing a sweatshirt that said “Property of Allah” and had a Quran in his vehicle, officials said. He was later identified as Ndiaga Diagne, 53, an naturalized American citizen originally from Senegal.
The killings led to an immediate response from top officials, who used the chance to call for major changes to the country’s immigration rules.
Mr. Abbott, who does not face a serious primary challenger, called for an end to “the current open immigration policies.” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is leaving that role to challenge U.S. Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary, went a step further and endorsed a post on X that called for “no more Islamic immigration.”
Mr. Roy called on Congress to pass the bill he wrote that would halt nearly all legal immigration.
State Representative Salman Bhojani, a Democrat, said his community has become a target. He condemned the weekend attack and said he hoped Republican leaders would blame the individual who carried it out — not all Muslims.
“Everybody needs a boogeyman,” said Mr. Bhojani, who in 2022 became one of the first two Muslims elected to the Texas House. “I understand in some ways it is sort of red meat for their voters, so that way they can get into office in this Republican primary. But let’s just talk about facts and talk about bringing people together.”
Texas has the largest Muslim population among Republican-led states. The numbers are still comparatively small in a state of more than 30 million: about 2 percent by some estimates.
But last year, Mr. Abbott signed a measure that he said was in response to a rise of Shariah law in the state and designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a major advocacy organization, as a foreign terrorist group. The group, which deplored this weekend’s shooting, has said it is no such thing.
After this year’s primary and runoff elections, Mr. Bhojani hopes the rhetoric may ease.
Joshua Blank, the research director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, said whether the attack propels Islam as a general election issue depends on the outcome of the shooting investigation and how state and national leaders react.
On Monday, dozens of Texas Republicans cited the shooting in a letter calling for a freeze on certain visas and a pause on all immigration.
In Texas, “We don’t know if Republicans are going to decide if this is going to be something they want to keep talking about,” Mr. Blank said.
As they have after other recent shootings, Democrats in Texas called for gun control laws. Their past efforts have failed, with Republican leaders instead loosening firearms regulations.
In Texas, it is legal to openly carry a handgun or rifle in most places. Private person-to-person sales usually do not require background checks, which critics refer to as the “gun-show loophole.”
The authorities said Monday that Mr. Diagne acquired the weapons legally.
James Talarico, a Democratic state lawmaker also running for Mr. Cornyn’s Senate seat, criticized Mr. Abbott on social media on Sunday after the governor said he had been praying for the victims and called for an investigation but did not call for gun control.
Mr. Abbott responded by shifting the conversation back to immigration. He wrote on social media, “The problem here, James, is not the gun show loophole. It’s the unvetted immigrant loophole.”
Whatever Tuesday’s results, the issue will not go away soon. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican who leads the Texas Senate, wants to revisit the issue of Shariah during the next legislation session, which starts in 2027.
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