Hispanic Caucus Debates Whether to Let Republican Join

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is deciding whether to let Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo (Fla.) join, which has become a controversy within a caucus that is composed entirely of Democrats.

The House Administration Committee is expected to tell the caucus by Thursday's weekly meeting if they are required to let him join, CHC Chairwoman Michelle Lujan Grisham (D., N.M.) told Politico.

Last week, the CHC delayed dealing with the matter after many members of the caucus accused Curbelo of wanting to join as a political ploy for his re-election.

Curbelo's district is 70 percent Latino and is a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats. It has more Democrats than Republicans, and Hillary Clinton won it in the 2016 presidential election.

However, Curbelo easily won the district in his 2016 re-election with over ten percentage points more of the vote than his Democratic opponent.

"The Congressional Hispanic Caucus should not discriminate against any American of Hispanic descent. The CHC should focus on uniting America’s Hispanic community in support of issues like compassionate immigration reform, economic growth and opportunity, and better education," Curbelo said in a statement.

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