Dems, GOP spar over Hispanics
A Hispanic Republican Conference formed last week by state Rep. Aaron Peña, R-Edinburg, and five freshman legislators can’t claim to represent Hispanics unless it takes a stand against discriminatory laws, a Texas Democratic Party official said Tuesday.
Peña, who was selected chairman of the conference at its first meeting, said last week that the conference’s members are reviewing more than 50 bills filed on immigration to determine whether they will take a position on the legislation.
But Texas Democratic Party deputy executive director Anthony Gutierrez said the newly formed caucus is a Republican Party “public relations stunt” unless its members oppose voter ID and hard-line immigration bills filed by GOP legislators.
“That will be the real test of whether this is just a book club or if it’s serious about representing Hispanics and bringing something different to the Republican Party,” Gutierrez said. “If all they’re going to do is read a bunch of bills, it truly is nothing but a bunch of show.”
The Texas Democratic Party and the Republican Party of Texas have released dueling responses since Peña joined other Hispanic Republicans in forming a caucus whose purpose is to advocate for issues important to the state’s Hispanic population.
In response to Gutierrez’s statements criticizing the conference’s formation in Capitol Inside, an online newsletter, state GOP chairman Steve Munisteri said Gutierrez’s implication is that Republican legislators meeting to advance Hispanic concerns is “somehow inappropriate.”
“Such a philosophy is premised on the prejudicial belief that all Hispanic voters think exactly alike and all are in lockstep with the Democratic Party,” Munisteri said in a statement released Monday. “To have this philosophy demonstrates bias and prejudice against the Hispanic community. The fact is, Republicans believe that the Hispanic community, like every other community in our state, has a wide range of concerns and opinions.”
The state’s Republican Party welcomes the wealth of viewpoints and experience Peña brings from a region that has not been served by Republican legislators, GOP spokesman Chris Elam said Tuesday. November’s elections results, where the Republican Party captured 22 seats in the state House, show that Texas Democrats are losing support and votes from the state’s rapidly growing Hispanic community.
He said the Republican Party wants to “encourage diversity to encourage debate” on potential implications of legislation.
Peña has had to balance his new position in the GOP with the values of the Hispanic voters he represents in his heavily Democratic district. Peña was critical of the first draft of the budget, saying it was damaging to his district, one of the poorest in the state. He’s also been outspoken about the state’s need to protect higher education from deep budget cuts and continue to place a priority on border security.
The state Senate passed voter ID legislation last week that some Hidalgo County Democrats say will disenfranchise minority voters by keeping them away from the polls. Peña said he wasn’t opposed to the legislation but doesn’t believe it addresses voter fraud – the reason why Republicans say they crafted the legislation.
But emotional debates could be brewing over the fate of some immigration-related bills. State Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, has filed legislation that requires school districts to report the number of illegal immigrants enrolled and another that stipulates voters must provide proof of eligibility at the polls. State Rep. Leo Berman proposed legislation that attempts to prevent birth certificates from being issued to children born in the United States to illegal immigrants, a right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.
Gutierrez said such bills are inflammatory to many within the Hispanic community.
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Jared Janes covers Hidalgo County government, Edinburg and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4424.
