State Rep. Gamez joins House Democrats in New Mexico against mid-decade redistricting

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — State Rep. Erin Gamez of House District 38 has joined other House Democrats to voice their concerns against efforts by the Trump Administration to redraw the congressional district in Texas.

Gamez and six other House Democrats met with New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in Santa Fe to unite against the proposed mid-decade redrawing.

"This isn't just a Texan issue. This is a national issue, and again, as in most other instances, what starts in Texas affects the rest of the United States of America," Gamez said.

Redrawing the congressional map is a tradition that occurs once every 10 years after the census is taken to reflect real-time data, including changes in population and communities.

The current congressional map was expected to remain in effect until 2030, but is now at risk of modification after President Donald Trump stated that redrawing the Texas congressional map would help Republicans pick up five additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives ahead of the midterm elections.

"The State of Texas is not asking to redraw these lines," Gamez said. "Is this really about the will of the people, or is this about the will of an administration to overpower that of the people?"

Gamez says congressional districts in the Rio Grande Valley are at risk of being redrawn to stretch into San Antonio, which could affect the Valley's voice.

"We [Texas and New Mexico] have enormous minority race-based populations, so we know that there is an attempt to dilute those voices," Gamez said. "What is the purpose of stretching or diluting the Valley voice up north?"

Gamez and other House Democrats will continue to travel to states with similar demographics and concerns with the hope of saving the voices of South Texas and beyond.

"I intend to strongly fight for the voices of the Valley to ensure that our districts are not destroyed based on race-based discrimination. We will utilize every tool that we can to ensure that their voices are preserved," Gamez said.