With the redrawing, Republicans could take control of 30 out of 38 congressional seats—up from the current 25.

On Thursday, Latino organizations accused Republicans of undermining the Hispanic vote through a plan to redraw Texas’ congressional map, a move that would create five new federal districts favoring the party of President Donald Trump.

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The proposal was unveiled Wednesday by the Texas Republican Party in a state where 6.5 million Latinos are eligible to vote—nearly a third of the electorate—according to data from the Pew Research Center.

“This map is nothing less than the hijacking of democracy in plain sight. It is a blatant and unprecedented attempt to undermine democracy by diluting the power of Latino voters,” said Roman Palomares, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), referring to a proposal pushed by Trump aimed at giving Republicans an edge over Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections.

In an effort to maintain and expand the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (currently 220-212), Trump has been pressuring GOP lawmakers in states where it’s feasible to redraw electoral maps in ways that favor the right.

The organization Voto Latino raised concerns about the precedent being set in Texas, where the redistricting initiative is being advanced during a special legislative session convened by Gov. Greg Abbott. The move is occurring earlier than usual, as redistricting typically takes place every 10 years following the U.S. Census.

“These racially drawn maps are designed to harm and erode Latino influence—the largest and fastest-growing demographic group in Texas. From the start, Texas Republicans operated without transparency,” Voto Latino said.

The new plan threatens districts currently represented by Democrats such as Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez in the southern part of the state, and progressive Greg Casar in central Texas. With this redrawing, Republicans could take control of 30 out of 38 congressional seats—up from the current 25.

The Democratic Party also criticized the map, saying it is designed to represent Trump, not the voices of Texas. “It is illegally drawn in a way that silences the voices of minority communities across Texas. When Donald Trump knows he can’t win, he cheats,” said Kendall Scudder, the Democratic leader in the state.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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