Fact-check: Is Mayra Flores first Mexican-born member of Congress?

Maria Ramirez Uribe, PolitiFact.com
·3 min read
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Rep. Lauren Boebert: U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores is “the first Mexican-born member of Congress.”

PolitiFact's ruling: False

Here's why: Despite multiple claims, newly elected U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores, a South Texas Republican, is not the first Mexican-born member of Congress.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., repeated the incorrect claim that Flores is "the first Mexican-born member of Congress," on a July 11 podcast.

"The Congresswoman meant to say the first female Mexican-born member of congress. She missed the word female," Boebert’s team told PolitiFact.

Flores herself made the claim on Twitter on June 15, a day after winning a special election to fill the seat held by Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, who resigned to take another job.

Although Flores, who was born in Burgos, Tamaulipas, Mexico, is the first Mexican-born woman elected to Congress, she is not the first Mexican-born member of Congress.

Three of her current colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives were born in Mexico.

Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., was born in Moroleon, Mexico; Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., was born in Zacatecas, Mexico; and Rep. Jesus "Chuy" García, D-Ill., was born in Durango, Mexico.

García responded to Flores’ June 15 tweet the next day and shared a list of all members of Congress who were born in Mexico.

There are at least four other former members of Congress who were also born in Mexico.

  • Sen. Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo, R-N.M., born in El Valle de San Bartolo (now Allende), state of Chihuahua, Mexico, served in the Senate from 1928 to 1929.

  • Rep. Carlos Bee, D-Texas, born in Saltillo, Mexico, served in the House from 1919 to 1921.

  • Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-Texas, born in Piedras Negras, Mexico, served in the House from 1997 to 2005 and again from 2007 to 2011.

  • Rep. Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev., born in Guadalajara, Mexico, served from 2017 to 2019.

It’s also worth noting that Rep. Romualdo Pacheco, R-Calif., who served from 1877 to 1883, was born in Santa Barbara, California, when it was a Mexican territory.

There are currently 29 foreign-born members of Congress, 10 of whom were born outside the U.S. to American parents or on U.S. military bases out of the country.

Our ruling

Boebert claimed that newly elected Flores is "the first Mexican-born member of Congress."

While Flores is the first Mexican-born congresswoman, throughout history at least seven other members of Congress were born in Mexico. Three of those currently serve beside Flores and Boebert in the House of Representatives.

We rate Boebert’s claim False.

Our Sources

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: PolitiFact: Mayra Flores is not first Mexican-born member of Congress