Benny Johnson | Reporter At Large

MSNBC reporter Mariana Atencio traveled to Houston to interview voters in a hotly contested congressional district.

Atencio reported Tuesday from the 7th district of Texas where the GOP incumbent John Culberson is facing a big challenge from Democratic opponent Lizzie Fletcher. Atencio noted that hispanics make up 30 percent of the population of the district and have major sway on who is elected there. However, in interviews with Latino voters Atencio was stunned to find that they were voting Republican and had a bad opinion of the migrant caravan heading to the U.S. border.

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“As you mentioned, the demographics here are changing. Latinos now make up 30% of this district,” Atencio said. “Texas Latinos, if they turn out, – they might not all necessarily turn out Blue.”

Atencio then conducted interviews with Texas Latino voters who said they were voting Republican because of the caravan. (RELATED: New Images Show Exactly How Massive The Migrant Caravan Is Traveling to The USA Through Mexico)

“I do believe that if somebody wants to live in the United States, they should go through the official process. So as a result, I tend to ally myself with people who agree with that,” the Texas Latino voter said.

“When you see images like the migrant caravan and President Trump talking about the caravan, does that motivate you to want to vote in a certain way?” Atencio asked.

The voter responded, “Yes, it makes me want to vote Republican. I think if you want to live in this country, you need to abide by its laws.”

“That blows my mind,” the MSNBC host said after the segment.

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