Latest news with #CongressionalHispanicCaucus
The Hill
01-08-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair accuses Texas Republicans of silencing Latino voters with redistricting plan
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat (D-Texas) accused Texas Republicans of silencing Latino voters with their proposed redistricting plan in a letter first obtained by The Hill on Friday. In a letter addressed to J.M. Vasut, chair of the Texas Committee on Redistricting, and the committee's Jon Rosenthal, Espaillat described the new congressional map proposed by Texas Republicans as 'a blatant power grab that undermines democracy and silences Latino voters.' Espaillat specifically noted that in Harris County, where Latinos make up 46 percent of the population, Texas Republicans have slashed the Hispanic Voting Age population in the 29th congressional district from 65.5 percent to 43 percent. 'Across the state, Republicans are using surgical precision to redraw maps and erode minority voting strength,' Epaillat wrote. 'The goal is not fairness, it's submission—to Trump, to extremism, and to a toxic political agenda that enriches the powerful while working families, children, seniors, and veterans are left behind. This redistricting scheme would be more at home under a dictatorship than in a functioning democracy.' Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) presented the letter while testifying in the Texas state House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting. Espaillat's letter comes as the committee is gearing up to vote on the proposed House map, which would create five new House seats that President Trump won by double digits in November. President Trump had called on the state's Republicans to redraw the lines to protect the party's narrow 219-212 House majority in the 2026 midterms.
Los Angeles Times
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Tejano music legend Flaco Jiménez dies at 86
Famed Tejano singer-songwriter and master accordionist Leonardo 'Flaco' Jiménez has died. He was 86. Jiménez's family shared the news of the musician's death on his official Facebook page Thursday night. A cause of death was not disclosed. 'It is with great sadness that we share tonight the loss of our father, Flaco Jiménez. He was surrounded by his loved ones and will be missed immensely,' his family wrote. 'Thank you to all of his fans and friends — those who cherished his music. And a big thank you for all of the memories. His legacy will live on through his music and all of his fans. The family requests privacy during this time of sadness and grievance.' Over his more than seven decades in the music industry, the San Antonio native garnered six Grammy Awards, received a National Medal of Arts from President Biden and established himself as a pioneering accordion virtuoso who helped nationalize the popularity of Tejano and conjunto music in the U.S. Jiménez is perhaps best known for his work with the Tejano music supergroup Texas Tornados, which included the talents of Freddy Fender, Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers. Texas Tornados won the Mexican/Mexican-American Performance Grammy in 1990 for their song 'Soy de San Luis.' The band's Spanglish style is on full display in their most popular track '(Hey Baby) Que Pasó?' In 2022, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, led by Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro, included the 1989 hit in its list of nominees to Library of Congress' National Recording Registry, in an effort to increase Latino representation in the U.S. Castro, a San Antonio native, shared a statement on Facebook regarding Jiménez's death. 'I am saddened by the passing of San Antonio music legend Leonardo 'Flaco' Jiménez,' he wrote. 'He was a pioneer in conjunto music — receiving a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, National Medal of Arts, and a place in the National Recording Registry for his work. Texas is proud of his legacy. May he rest in peace.' Jiménez's 1992 album, 'Partners,' was inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2020. 'People used to regard my music as cantina music, just no respect,' Jiménez told the Library of Congress. 'The accordion was considered something like a party joke … I really give respect to everyone who helped me out on this record, and I'm flattered by this recognition.' His skills on the 'party joke' of an instrument were so well recognized that the famed German musical instrument manufacturer Hohner collaborated with Jiménez in 2009 to create a signature line of accordions. 'The music world has lost a true legend. Flaco Jimenez was a global ambassador for Tex-Mex Conjunto music, bringing its vibrant sound to audiences around the world,' Hohner wrote in a social media post following Jiménez's death. 'His passion and virtuosity on the three-row button accordion inspired generations of musicians across cultures and continents. Since 1976, Flaco was a proud partner of Hohner, a relationship built on mutual respect and a shared love for music. It was an incredible honor to work alongside such a talented, humble, and gracious artist.' Jiménez was born on March 11, 1939, in San Antonio to a family with a storied musical background. He first began performing at age 7 with his father, Santiago Jiménez, who himself was a pioneering figure in the conjunto movement. At 15, Flaco appeared in his first recording with the musical group Los Caporales. He went from local fame to modest international recognition on the folk scene when musicologist Chris Strachwitz recorded him for his Arhoolie label, and after being featured in a 1974 Les Blank film on Texas-Mexican border music. Then in 1976, Ry Cooder tapped him to be a member of his Chicken Skin Revue. Jimenez worked with Cooder on several projects, including the soundtrack to the 1982 film 'The Border,' which starred Jack Nicholson. He won the first of his three Grammy Awards for best Mexican-American performance in 1986 for his album 'Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio' and his last in the category in 1999 for his work with the supergroup Los Super Seven. He also won Grammys for his solo albums 'Flaco Jiménez' in 1994 and 'Said and Done' in 1999, as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. The list of artists with whom Jiménez collaborated is as long as it is distinguished and includes Bob Dylan, Carlos Santana, Dwight Yoakam and Linda Ronstadt. Jiménez played the accordion on the Rolling Stones' 'Sweethearts Together,' a Tex-Mex-infused ballad off of their 1994 album, 'Voodoo Lounge.' Jiménez's success and recognition far surpassed anything he could have imagined for himself, he told The Times in 1994. 'I thought that it was always just going to be a local thing. I'd only hear my dad and other groups in San Antonio, or even here just in the barrio,' he said. 'I think that audience started changing when I began to 'bilingual' a lot of stuff and started playing rock 'n' roll and with a little country to it. Then the reaction of the people, not just the Chicanos but the Anglos, was stronger.' Speaking with The Times in 1996, Jiménez said he was delighted that crossover with country had helped to bring the distinctive sound of accordion-based Tejano music to a wider audience. 'It's more respected and more listened to than ever before. I'm satisfied. At the level Tejano or conjunto music is now, we can communicate with the mainstream,' he said. Reflecting on how far the reach of conjunto had come, Jiménez recalled one of his earliest and most impactful memories introducing the genre across the globe. 'Conjunto or Tex-Mex music was not known at all. We went on tour to Switzerland, and when I got to the concert hall there was just one microphone and one chair. They thought I was going to give a concert with pura acordeon — just the accordion,' he said. 'I said, 'Hey, where's the rest of the amps and whatever?' And they managed to get a drum set so we did our thing. Then the audience noticed, 'Hey, this is fun!' And it got really wild. Because when I play, I'm really just having a party with the audience.' Times staff writer Fidel Martinez contributed to this report.
The Hill
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Adriano Espaillat endorses Mamdani after previously backing Cuomo
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani notched an endorsement on Thursday from a top House member who previously backed Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary. Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, declared his support for the Democratic nominee, who pulled off a surprise upset against Cuomo — who had been viewed as the frontrunner throughout the primary race. Espaillat said he's endorsing Mamdani because New Yorkers 'deserve a mayor who will wake up every day and fight for them.' 'Zohran Mamdani brings clarity, discipline, and a deep commitment to tackling the stubborn issues facing New York City,' the New York lawmaker said in a statement. 'He understands our city doesn't work if everyday New Yorkers — the very people that keep it moving forward — can't afford to live here.' 'From facing the housing crisis head-on to supporting students coping with housing instability, and from working to ensure that people can retire with dignity to restoring CUNY as a real pathway to opportunity, he has a strong vision of how to make New York serve those working to realize the American dream,' he added. Mamdani said Espaillat has been on the 'front lines' opposing the Trump administration, and that they both recognize the need to stand up for their values as well as working class and immigrant communities. 'As we expand this coalition for an affordable city to more New Yorkers, it is a profound honor to have the Congressman in our corner,' he said. Espaillat, a fifth-term congressman, is just the latest New York Democrat to support Mamdani, a member of the State Assembly. Some Democrats have shown some hesitancy to back the self-described democratic socialist, but he's slowly increased his support since winning the primary held last month. Mamdani received an endorsement from Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), the dean of New York's congressional delegation, just a day after the primary. Nadler had backed former city Comptroller Scott Stringer in the primary. He has also since received support from Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, the chairs of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Democratic parties and New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams — who opposed him in the primary. A few top New York Democrats have continued to withhold their support, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. All have congratulated Mamdani on his primary win and said they have had conversations with him but stopped short of formally backing him.
Politico
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Democratic socialist faces hurdles with Black, Latino voters in NYC mayoral race
NEW YORK — Zohran Mamdani's democratic socialist policies are a hit with affluent white voters. But the surging mayoral candidate trails Andrew Cuomo among New Yorkers he says his plans will help the most. Most polls have shown the upstart candidate lagging the former governor with Black and Latino voters. And with the Democratic primary a week away, political leaders from those core constituencies are dialing up their support of Cuomo as Mamdani's core base — younger, farther to the left, whiter — flock to early voting booths to crown the 33-year-old lawmaker the next executive of New York City. The dynamic is a microcosm of a nationwide divide in the Democratic Party. In 2024, younger lefty voters expressed open hostility toward Kamala Harris over her stance on the Israel-Hamas war. And in the two previous election cycles, voters of that ilk broke for Bernie Sanders while those over 45 — most crucially Black voters in the South — went strongly for Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. For Mamdani, the obstacles facing him played out in absentia over the weekend in Harlem. On Friday, Cuomo rallied alongside Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in D.C. and electoral tastemaker back home. A day later, he appeared with Rep. Gregory Meeks and Al Sharpton — two prominent Black political figures in the city — at Sharpton's National Action Network. Sharpton praised Cuomo and criticized Mamdani for cross-endorsing City Comptroller Brad Lander and not City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is Black. 'They say that Mamdani and Lander endorsed each other, so against the Black woman,' Sharpton said. 'Something about that politics ain't progressive to me.' (As POLITICO reported, Mamdani's team has in fact sought a cross-endorsement with Adams.) Meeks, who has endorsed Cuomo, highlighted Mamdani's lack of management experience to the crowd. 'We need someone who's tried, true and ready to do the job on Day One,' Meeks said. 'We don't have time to sit back and wait and train anybody.' That political split exemplifies the pitfalls awaiting Mamdani as he has climbs in the polls and activates the excited left wing of his party: Older Black and Latino voters — particularly middle-class Black homeowners — have long been key to any winning coalition in a New York City Democratic primary. And they tend not to be card-carrying members of the Democratic Socialists of America, of which Mamdani is a member. 'African-American voters have historically been more moderate to conservative than a lot of people really account for,' said Basil Smikle Jr., who once led the New York State Democratic Party. 'It's a vote tied to more mainstream politics and politicians, and you will see a higher turnout among those voters compared to younger ones.' No one knows exactly how the Democratic primary electorate will break down demographically. A survey released May 13 by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion predicted 6 percent of the electorate would comprise Asian voters, 24 percent Hispanic, 31 percent Black and 35 percent white. But a Democratic consultant who spoke with POLITICO, granted anonymity to discuss strategy candidly, said based on an analysis of voting history, white voters would constitute at least 45 percent of the total while Hispanic voters would be closer to 15 percent. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who ran on an income inequality platform like Mamdani, trounced the competition in 2013 by assembling a multiracial coalition that split the Black vote with Bill Thompson, who is Black. Eight years later, Eric Adams narrowly won the city's first ranked-choice primary with barely any white support at all, anchoring his coalition to Black and Latino voters in the outer boroughs to become New York's second Black mayor. Mamdani's campaign said his pledge to freeze the rent for rent-stabilized tenants and offer free childcare to kids aged 6 weeks to five years has been resonating with older voters in Black and brown neighborhoods. And he has been chipping away at Cuomo's dominance with nonwhite voters by speaking at Black churches and earning the backing of prominent officials representing Latino and Asian communities. 'Our campaign is making unprecedented outreach to Black and brown New Yorkers with the largest field operation in New York City history, composed of nearly 40,000 volunteers and over a million doors knocked,' spokesperson Lekha Sunder said in a statement. 'The polling is clear: the more these New Yorkers hear about our plans to deliver universal childcare and a rent-freeze, the more they support our movement.' But the breakout candidate is also banking on expanding the electorate to younger voters, which appears to be an insurance plan of sorts to compensate for his built-in weakness among a coveted bloc of older Black voters in Harlem, Brooklyn and Queens. These younger voters are less tied to churches and political parties, are farther left than their elders and are active on social media platforms like TikTok that Mamdani has utilized to great effect. Most crucially, activating these voters allows the state legislator to gain more votes while sticking to the left-leaning worldview that energized his campaign in the first place. 'I think Zohran has every opportunity to engage that younger voter because he is one of them, and they are not as tied to the older machines and older institutions as others might be,' Smikle Jr. said. A May 28 Emerson College survey that solidified Mamdani as the clear second to Cuomo found them tied with white voters likely to participate in a Democratic primary. But in the first round of voting, Cuomo beat Mamdani 42-14 with Black voters, 41-16 with Hispanic or Latino voters and 27-19 with Asian voters. As the rounds progressed, Mamdani pulled ahead of Cuomo among white voters and closed the gap with Asian voters. By the last round, however, Cuomo won Black voters 74-26 and Hispanic or Latino voters 65-35, reflecting the essential role these blocs have long played in New York City Democratic contests. In the Marist survey, Cuomo led Mamdani among Black voters 50-8 in the first round and 41-20 among Latino voters. 'When you say free buses, free everything, city-run grocery stores, that scares the bejesus out of folks working daily and paying 45 to 50 percent of their income in taxes,' said J.C. Polanco, an attorney and independent political analyst speaking about middle-class voters in Black and Latino communities. Mamdani has pledged to raise taxes on only the top 1 percent of income earners in New York City and increase the state's levy on corporations. Polanco argued the scale of spending proposed by Mamdani makes middle-class voters uneasy anyway and that he will need more money from them to pull it off. Mamdani's team said they are making inroads with these same voters on the strength of their endorsements and ground game. Indeed, as POLITICO reported last week, a poll conducted by Public Policy Polling on behalf of city comptroller candidate Justin Brannan showed Mamdani beating Cuomo in first-round votes, having gained significant ground among nonwhite voters. The poll did not account for ranked-choice voting. No public poll has demonstrated Mamdani winning. Mamdani's campaign pointed to his appeal with Muslim voters — the candidate was born in Uganda to Indian parents and is Muslim — and the fact he has visited more than 125 mosques since announcing his run. The Mamdani team also talked up its outreach among Latino voters. The campaign has invested six figures into two Spanish-language ads featuring U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and boasts more than 2,000 Spanish-speaking volunteers. That has translated to knocking on more than 27,000 doors in the Bronx. Mamdani's campaign said he has spoken at more than a dozen Black churches and has the support of former Rep. Jamaal Bowman and other Black officials, like state Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest, who share the candidate's left-leaning worldview. Bowman said the older Black voters he encounters while canvassing for Mamdani in the Bronx tend to support Cuomo because they are familiar with his family name, mainstream Democratic politics and his supporters like Meeks. But they're receptive to Mamdani upon hearing about his platform, Bowman said. 'Even for people who say they are supporting Cuomo, they like everything about Zohran,' he said in an interview. 'They like how he communicates. They love his ads, and they love the issues.' But the energy behind Mamdani's campaign is what could end up making the difference. While Cuomo has hoovered up endorsements from nearly all major labor unions and prominent officials in Black and Latino communities, Mamdani's base is undeniably more enthusiastic. If older voters are not particularly motivated to support the former governor — Democratic rivals and the New York City mayor have been relentlessly attacking Cuomo since he announced — and if Mamdani is able to activate Muslim voters keen on the history-making promise of his candidacy as well as younger progressives, it could make the June 24 primary much more competitive. 'He's banking on expanding the electorate,' said Jon Paul Lupo, a Democratic strategist who is not affiliated with any mayoral campaign. Lupo pointed to a recent post from political observer Michael Lange that tracked a rise in younger voters between 2013 and 2021, which could portend a similar shift later this month. 'If that is a trend and not a blip,' he said, 'then Mamdani has a real shot at winning in a way that doesn't require him to get votes in unexpected places.'
Straits Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Abrego Garcia due in US court on migrant smuggling charges after wrongful deportation
FILE PHOTO: Jennifer Vasquez Sura, wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who lived in the U.S. legally with a work permit and was erroneously deported to El Salvador, looks on during a press conference with other family members, supporters and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the migrant returned to the U.S. last week after being wrongfully deported to his native El Salvador, is due in court on Friday to enter a plea to criminal charges of taking part in a conspiracy to smuggle migrants into the United States. President Donald Trump's administration has portrayed the indictment of Abrego Garcia, 29, as vindication of its aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration. Before Abrego Garcia's indictment was unsealed on June 5, officials alleged he was a member of the MS-13 gang and said they would not bring him back. The Justice Department's decision to return him to the U.S. to face criminal charges is a potential off-ramp for Trump's administration from its escalating confrontation with the judiciary over whether it complied with a court order to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return. The Republican president's critics say his swift removal without a hearing showed the administration prioritized increased deportations over due process, the bedrock principle that people in the U.S., whether citizens or not, can contest governmental actions against them in the courts. The criminal proceeding will provide Abrego Garcia with due process by giving him the right to contest the charges contained in a grand jury indictment returned in secret on May 21. Still, his lawyers say his return to face criminal charges does not absolve the Trump administration of responsibility for wrongfully deporting him. Abrego Garcia's hearing on the criminal charges is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. CDT (1500 GMT) before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to entering his plea, Abrego Garcia is expected to contest a bid by federal prosecutors to have him detained pending trial. In the indictment, Abrego Garcia was charged with working with at least five co-conspirators as part of a smuggling ring to bring immigrants to the United States illegally, then transport them from the U.S.-Mexico border to destinations across the country. Abrego Garcia often picked up migrants in Houston, making more than 100 trips between Texas and Maryland between 2016 and 2025, the indictment alleges. Abrego Garcia is also accused of transporting firearms and drugs. 'ADMINISTRATIVE ERROR' Prosecutors say Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident whose wife and young child are U.S. citizens, could face 10 years in prison for each migrant he smuggled. That means he could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted, according to prosecutors. They are urging he be detained, saying the potentially hefty sentence means he may try to flee. They also say detention is warranted because he allegedly murdered a rival gang member's mother in El Salvador and solicited child pornography, though those accusations are not part of his indictment. Abrego Garcia's lawyers have called the charges "fantastical" and deny that he is a flight risk. Abrego Garcia was deported on March 15 to El Salvador, despite a 2019 immigration court ruling that he not be sent there because he could be persecuted by gangs. Officials called his removal an "administrative error." In a separate civil case, Greenbelt, Maryland-based U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis is investigating whether the Trump administration violated her order to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return from El Salvador. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld that order. Abrego Garcia's lawyers are urging Xinis to hold administration officials in contempt and impose fines for stonewalling their requests for information about the steps the administration took to facilitate his return. The Trump administration says Xinis should drop her probe because it complied with her order by deciding to bring Abrego Garcia back to face criminal charges. His lawyers disagree and say that for the administration to be in compliance, his immigration case must be handled as it would have been had he not been deported. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
