EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The El Paso City Council has officially taken a stance to oppose Texas Republican legislators’ proposed redistricting map.
El Paso City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday, Aug. 5 in favor of a resolution to urge Texas legislators to maintain the El Paso International Airport and Fort Bliss in Congressional District 16.
The majority of El Paso, including the airport and Fort Bliss, are currently represented by U.S Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, under Texas’ 16th Congressional District.
Republicans’ proposed redistricting map would move parts of El Paso County, including the airport and Fort Bliss into U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales’ 23rd Congressional District. That district spans from East El Paso to San Antonio to the U.S. Mexico border.
“That is a really big deal for the City of El Paso. Those are really big assets for our city, and we need to make sure that they are being represented by somebody that lives in El Paso, not somebody that lives 500 miles away in a district that stretches over 500 miles,” said El Paso City Rep. Josh Acevedo, who along with representatives Ivan Nino and Deanna Maldonado-Rocha authored the resolution.
Acevedo and other City Council members said the proposed map could impact El Paso’s economy and representation in Washington D.C.
“I think we don’t have a voice in Washington making sure that they are fighting hard for these two assets in El Paso. It also means that we wouldn’t be getting hundreds of millions of dollars. Congresswoman Escobar has brought in hundreds of millions of dollars for a new VA health care clinic, right. And that’s because she has been so focused on El Paso, because she lives here and she’s from here, and she understands how important that is,” Acevedo said.
Read: Read More