At debate, Mayra Flores shrugs off concern about mandating South Texans carry passports [View all]
McALLEN — Former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores said she has no problem with requiring South Texans to carry passports to prove their citizenship.
Flores, a Republican running to recapture the congressional seat she briefly held in 2022, made that assertion Thursday night during a debate with U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, the Democrat incumbent. Gonzalez was explaining why he voted against a border security bill championed by former President Donald Trump.
Flores and Gonzalez are locked in one of Texas’ only contested congressional races. And both political parties have made the seat a priority.
Gonzalez said that legislation, known as Secure the Border Act, would have required South Texas residents to present a passport at an interior border patrol checkpoint in Falfurrias, a town nearly 80 miles north of McAllen. The checkpoint is an unavoidable stop for Valley residents traveling north. Most people who live in Congressional District 34 in the state's southeast corner are Hispanic — 84%.
Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/18/mayra-flores-passports-id-debate/
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