A Hispanic congresswoman who was born in Mexico and represents a majority Hispanic district was denied entry to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus—because she is a Republican.
The caucus this month rejected the request to join from Rep. Mayra Flores (R., Texas), who became the first Mexican-born congresswoman after winning a special election in June. The caucus, which "addresses national and international issues and crafts policies that impact the Hispanic community," according to its website, spurned Flores because of her political affiliation, Townhall reports:
Townhall has exclusively learned Rep. Mayra Flores (R-TX) was prevented from joining the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), the leading caucus for Latino members of Congress, because she is a Republican and membership is only reserved for Democrats.
According to those familiar with the situation, Flores requested to join CHC in early October and was rejected shortly thereafter. Flores is not only 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 Republicans members but they went on to create the Congressional Hispanic Conference as their own version of the CHC in the 2000s.
Flores said her rejection "once again proves a bias toward conservative Latinas that don't fit their narrative or ideology."