Savannah Hulsey Pointer, FISM News
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Rep. Mayra Flores made history by becoming the first female congresswoman to be born in Mexico, but the Democratic-controlled Congressional Hispanic Caucus is reportedly blocking Flores after she requested to join.
Flores (R-Texas) was prevented from joining the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) because membership is only reserved for Democrats, according to a report by Townhall.
Townhall’s Julio Rosas reported “Flores is not only the first Mexican-born woman to serve in Congress, but she also represents a district along the U.S.-Mexico border that is overwhelmingly Latino. CHC used to have [Republican] members but they went on to create the Congressional Hispanic Conference as their own version of the CHC in the 2000s.”
While the CHC website does not state in its “About” section that only Democrats can join, the website does state that the Caucus, “addresses national and international issues and crafts policies that impact the Hispanic community. The function of the Caucus is to serve as a forum for the Hispanic Members of Congress to coalesce around a collective legislative agenda.”
The Texas Tribune, however, reported that the CHC’s bylaws “explicitly block Republicans from joining due to major policy differences between members in the past.”
Townhall reported that the group offered them a statement following their article’s publication saying, “In 2003, led by Rep. Diaz Balart, GOP Members split from the CHC to form the Congressional Hispanic Conference. Per our bylaws, the CHC is now for Democratic Members. Rep. Flores’ Extreme MAGA values and their attacks on Latinos and our nation’s democracy on January 6 do not align with CHC values,” the CHC communications director said.
The Tribune’s article went on to outline some of the issues progressives have had with her candidacy for membership with the CHC. First on the list was her endorsement by former President Donald Trump, as well as her backing of a “hard line on reproductive rights.”
Also, among the offenses from Flores’ political career was her call for further funding for border security and that she voted against the gun control bill that was introduced as a substitute for a less restrictive Republican alternative.
“As the first Mexican-born Congresswoman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, I thought joining the Congressional Hispanic Caucus would be a constructive way to build bridges and work in a bipartisan manner on behalf of our constituents. I was wrong. This denial once again proves a bias towards conservative Latinas that don’t fit their narrative or ideology,” Flores told Townhall.
As the first Mexican-born American Congresswoman, I thought the Hispanic Caucus would be open in working together. This denial once again proves a bias towards conservative Latinas that don’t fit their narrative or ideology. https://t.co/oqYjrGDJaU pic.twitter.com/ugqkKMk5sb
— Mayra Flores (@MayraFlores_TX) October 26, 2022
Flores is one of six Latina GOP candidates running to flip the House of Representatives to a Republican majority in November.
Something similar happened last year to Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), who was barred from joining the Congressional Black Caucus.
“The Congressional Black Caucus has a stated commitment to ensuring Black Americans have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. As a newly elected Black Member of Congress, my political party should not exempt me from a seat at the table dedicated to achieving this goal,” Donalds told NBC News at the time.