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.
The CHC's website websites states 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 website does not state in its "About" section that only Democrats can join the organization.
"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.
Flores' rejection based on CHC's membership requirements comes at a time where there could be more GOP Latina members of Congress after the midterms, who would also be representing Hispanic-heavy districts.
Similarly, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) was prevented from joining the Congressional Black Caucus last year.
"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.
Update:
The CHC provided a statement to Townhall after the initial story was published.