HOUSTON — In the Denver Harbor neighborhood, characterized by its small homes and local businesses, a prevailing sense of anxiety lingers among the largely Latino community concerning immigration and potential deportations.
Rene Porras, a combat veteran of Vietnam and the owner of a local taqueria and Mexican bakery, expressed the growing fears that have affected business in recent weeks.
“Everybody’s nervous,” Porras noted. “Business is down for the last three or four weeks. I mean, really down. And I talked to my other friends that have businesses and the same thing. Where did the immigrants go?”
Rita Robles, a community activist in Denver Harbor, underscored that the apprehension has escalated since rumors of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the area began circulating.
“When they started saying that ICE was going to be in the area, we’ve spotted them in certain areas where they’re huddling together, before they go do a raid, and that has scared the hell out of the people here,” Robles stated.
The issue of mass deportations highlights part of President Donald Trump’s agenda that has garnered support from the narrow Republican majority in Congress.
To maintain that majority, President Trump urged Texas lawmakers to redraw voting maps to favor GOP candidates ahead of the upcoming elections.
He has proposed redistricting in Texas that aims to create five additional Republican-held seats.
In response, Democrats in the Texas state house have staged a walkout, leaving the state in an attempt to block the chamber from achieving quorum necessary to vote on the controversial maps.
Democratic leaders have indicated they could soon return as Democratic officials in California are set to seek voter approval for redistricting measures to counter Texas’ GOP efforts.
Additionally, Republican-controlled states like Missouri and Florida are considering similar countermeasures, potentially upsetting the traditional timing of redistricting that typically occurs early in the decade after the census count.
Should the proposed district maps move forward, the Denver Harbor neighborhood could find itself within a district leaning Republican, rather than remaining in the district currently represented by Democratic Rep. Sylvia Garcia.
The proposed changes involve slicing Denver Harbor out of its existing district and reallocating it to an area primarily composed of suburbs and exurbs.
According to an analysis from the Texas Legislative Council, while Denver Harbor’s current district supported Kamala Harris in the last presidential election, the demographics of the proposed new district largely favor Donald Trump.
Porras has voiced opposition to the redistricting efforts, highlighting that Trump’s unpopularity in the area is significant.
“Since Trump’s proposed this, he’s so unpopular around here it’s incredible. Everything from cutting services and Medicaid, all the things he didn’t mention during the election, or said he’s not going to cut, that’s exactly what he’s doing,” Porras remarked.
Robles added that redistricting raises additional concerns regarding the environmental health within the neighborhood, which lies in proximity to the Houston Ship Channel.
“We have a very big problem with air pollution,” Robles explained. “We already have a large number of people in our area that suffer from health problems, and then on top of that, you suffer from things like asthma, emphysema.”
She expressed that residents in Denver Harbor do not earn as much as the populations in the neighborhoods they would be joined with in the new district.
“They make six figures, you know, anywhere from $50,000, $60,000 and up to six figures,” Robles said, referring to potential new neighbors.
In contrast, Republicans argue that the new district’s layout is more compact compared to the previous configuration, which they claim reflects demographic changes in Harris County.
Cindy Siegel, chair of the Harris County Republican Party, countered the criticism by asserting that the proposed maps more accurately represent the evolving demographics within the county.
“The way the new maps are drawn is really more indicative of how Harris County has changed demographically,” Siegel stated, suggesting that Democrats have taken Hispanic voters for granted, ultimately leading to their current dissatisfaction.
Siegel noted that there has been a noticeable shift in the Hispanic community’s voting patterns, as more Hispanic voters supported President Trump in the last election.
Tom Oliverson, the Texas House Majority Leader and a Republican from northwest Harris County, acknowledged that partisan advantage is a key motivation behind the redistricting effort.
“I think it’s well within our right to do so,” Oliverson commented. “There are many, many states where redistricting for partisan performance has been a way of life for 20, 30 years, particularly in Democrat states.”
However, the line between partisan redistricting and racial gerrymandering can often blur, a practice deemed illegal.
Michael O. Adams, a political science professor at Texas Southern University, described the ongoing redistricting proposals as an illustration of demographic manipulation.
“I think what we’re seeing here, and what we’re witnessing in this redistricting proposal and the midterm cycle, is what I would call a master class in demographic manipulation,” Adams remarked.
image source from：npr
