A poster of the Republican candidate for US Congress Monica de la Cruz, photographed at the University Drafthouse in McAllen, Texas, on October 10, 2022. afp_tickers
This material 09 November 2022 – 07:08 . was published on
(AFP)
Monica de la Cruz, backed by former President Donald Trump and a promoter of his immigration policy, won a seat in the United States Congress on Tuesday to represent the Texas district on the troubled border with Mexico.
“Praise God, we have won tonight,” conservative de la Cruz said during a commemoration with his constituents, after US media declared him the winner for District 15 in the state’s south.
Americans voted this Tuesday in so-called midterm elections to elect new members of the House of Representatives and renew a third of their senators and their governors.
De la Cruz defeated entrepreneur Michele Vallejo by a wide margin, and took over territory historically controlled by the Democratic Party.
This includes the city of McAllen, which has a large Latino population and is one of the regions affected by the mass arrival of migrants from various parts of Latin America, fleeing poverty, violence and seeking employment in their own countries.
Between October 1, 2021 and August 31, 2022, 2.5 million people were caught crossing illegally into the United States, according to Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.
De la Cruz’s proposals include ending the construction of the controversial wall between the United States and Mexico initiated by Trump.
“We reject the wrong choice between legal migration and strong border security. We believe in both possibilities,” he said.
He also proposed reinstating the former president’s policy so that all irregular migrants arriving at the border remain in Mexico while their status is determined.
De la Cruz, who opposes abortion, said, “We are the party that wants Hispanics to prosper and not depend on the government. They believe that every child, regardless of race, gender or disability, is omnipotent. God’s gift.”
Despite the setbacks that meant a Republican victory with de la Cruz, Conservative MP Myra Flores, a candidate for the 34th district, also on the border with Mexico, and who was seeking re-election, contested the contest. I had lost. The area was held by Democrat Vicente Gonzalez.
Meanwhile, Cassie Garcia, another Latina campaigned by the Republican Party in South Texas, also lost to Democrat Henry Kueller.
Not surprisingly, the state of Texas remains in the hands of Republicans, also promoters of serious immigration policies, following Tuesday’s re-election of Governor Greg Abbott.
