Rep. Veronica Escobar is trying to keep El Paso on the map. Given that even other Texans barely acknowledge the Trans-Pecos region is a part of their state it is a tougher task than most. The border town has been a flashpoint for immigration in the past — especially in both Trump regimes.
U.S. Rep Veronica Escobar questioned acting ICE director Todd Lyons during a House Appropriations subcommittee on homeland security oversight hearing in Washington, D.C., over plans to expand ICE detention facilities and the dire conditions of the facilities.
"The increase in cost to taxpayers obviously hasn't translated into an increase in humane conditions, but I bet it has meant an increase in profit for these private companies," Escobar, D-El Paso, said during the hearing Wednesday, May 14. "How many total beds does the reconciliation package create?"
Lyon responded that they are looking to add 100,000 beds, but he said that the agency currently does not have the money. Congress has approved funding for 41,500 detention beds, but ICE is currently detaining 52,000 people.
Escobar was a part of a Congressional delegation to check out Guantanamo Bay when the Trump regime 2.0 was looking to house undocumented immigrants there. Luckily that plan did not come to fruition.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar traveled as part of a bipartisan delegation to inspect the conditions of facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba used to hold migrants scheduled for deportation as part of President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement policies.
It appears Trump's hardline plan has hit a roadblock. Several news organizations reported this week that Guantanamo Bay sits empty. Trump announced earlier this year that the naval station would hold up to 30,000 migrants as they awaited deportation to their home countries.
Escobar, D-El Paso, joined the members of the House Armed Services Committee, who were among the first to travel to inspect the facilities at the U.S. Naval station on March 10.
"It is an extraordinarily expensive operation," Escobar told the El Paso Times. "Whether it is food or other resources, there could not be a costlier way for Donald Trump to do this."
Rep. Veronica Escobar care more about El Paso than to be just about immigration. What else has she done to help out her city? What are her notable achievements? What kind of politician is she? All of these questions will be answered below the fold.
Personal History
Rep. Veronica Escobar first ran for Congress in 2018 and won the seat formerly held by Beto O’Rourke.
Rep. Veronica Escobar was born in El Paso, Texas on September 15, 1969. Her family owned a dairy farm in the area and Escobar and her family lived near it. She was destined for greater things though and became one of the first in her family to go to college.
Despite being a public servant for more than a decade, Escobar said she never pictured herself running for Congress before Trump became president. Her friends describe her as the “salt-of-the-earth.” She grew up working on a dairy farm in El Paso, washing milk and manure out of her four brothers’ jeans. She left to obtain a Master’s Degree in English Literature at New York University, and then returned in 1993 to teach Chicano literature at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Escobar has always been adjacent to politics even if she never though she’d run for Congress. Some of her earliest exposure to the political world came as communications director for El Paso mayor Raymond Caballero.
Before jumping into politics, Escobar was executive director for Community Scholars, a local nonprofit organization that worked with high school students to conduct public policy research, and served as communications director for former El Paso Mayor Raymond Caballero.
This taste of politics led her to form a critical alliance with other young would-be politicians in the El Paso area. They became known as “The Progressives” and each one would play a role in revitalizing the far-flung city. The most famous of “The Progressives” is former Rep. Beto O’Rourke.
Caballero won with over 60 percent of the vote, but as mayor he was seen as heavy-handed and aloof, and he lost his bid for reelection. Out of the wreckage of the Caballero administration, Byrd, O’Rourke, and several other like-minded young professionals—among them lawyer Steve Ortega and former Caballero staffer Veronica Escobar—began meeting regularly to discuss how they could do grassroots work to achieve the policy goals Caballero could not: more conscientious urban planning, a more diversified economy with more highly skilled jobs, and an end to the kind of systemic corruption that had long permeated the city leadership.
Rep. Veronica Escobar had a role to play long before getting elected to Congress. She was elected El Paso County Commissioner in 2006 and El Paso County Judge in 2010. She announced her campaign to replace her ally Beto O’Rourke downtown in the neighborhood she helped revitalize.
Escobar wanted to announce her campaign in a central building downtown because she has worked hard to revitalize the neighborhood since being elected El Paso county judge in 2010 ― an administrative leadership position that oversees that county’s budget. The once-bustling border town was largely deserted in the mid-1990s as unemployment soared after the enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement. But the town has since witnessed a rebirth as officials trained workers to take advantage of their location as a trade hub and move into higher-wage jobs, where they have been adapting and transforming the city’s economy.
By no means was her election guaranteed. “The Progressives” may have been in the ascendancy in El Paso but the old guard still had some power. They attacked Escobar and especially her husband (an immigration judge) for being two-faced on border issues. She responded by claiming her husband is ‘following the law as written’ and that she was running for office to ‘change those laws’.
Right before getting elected to Congress, Escobar and O’Rourke led protests in nearby Tornillo, Texas because the Trump regime 1.0 put up a tent city there for undocumented children to be separated from their families.
World Cup soccer and backyard barbecues were set aside Father's Day morning for hundreds of people who chose instead to descend on this small West Texas outpost that's become famous the last 72 hours for being home to an immigration detention center for children.
Lawmakers, political candidates and members of the faith-based community joined people from across the country here to express their outrage toward the Trump administration's practice of separating immigrant children from parents who are seeking asylum.
"We decided there wouldn't be a more powerful way to spend Father's Day than with children who have just been taken from their fathers, children who have been taken from their mothers, children who won't be able to be with their family," said U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, who spearheaded Sunday's protest with former El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar, the Democratic nominee to succeed O'Rourke in Congress.
This resistance set the stage for Escobar to join the Democratic Party in Congress when it took back power in 2018.
Issue Positions and Work in Congress
Rep. Veronica Escobar chatting with some constituents in El Paso.
Rep. Veronica Escobar is left-of-center in the Democratic caucus. She fits the “progressive” label well as she has a DW Nominate score of -0.47. The puts her as more liberal than 77% of the Democratic caucus and 88% of the entire House of Representatives. She also has a 96% “A” rating from Progressive Punch which means she is a solid representative on almost all of the issues. She also voted for the Biden agenda 100% of the time while the former President was in office.
Escobar is the primary sponsor of 1 piece of legislation that became law. In 2019, she wrote the Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative Act of 2020 which set up an office for veterans within the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. In the 119th Congress, she is the primary sponsor of 6 pieces of legislation so far and the co-sponsor of 77 pieces of legislation. She has been effective so far and hopefully she gets a chance to write more laws again.
Rep. Veronica Escobar now sits on the Budget Committee and Appropriations Committee. Escobar used to sit on the Armed Services Committee and the Judiciary Committee. All of those committees do their work usually outside the spotlight but not when “witnesses” like Corey Lewandowski stop by to testify.
Escobar did have a good line of questioning during the first Trump impeachment trial.
Also, she is very capable of holding feet to the fire even during the Biden years.
But it is on border issues that Rep. Veronica Escobar has to shine in light of where her district is situated. She was one of the attack dogs in 2020, responding to the State of the Union in Spanish after the last address of the Trump 1.0 regime. This Morning Joe segment shows exactly how she both attacks Trump and states how border towns like El Paso are affected.
This impassioned plea for drowned migrants is perhaps her best speech to date.
To show how her influence has grown, Escobar was selected as one of the four chairs of the DNC in Chicago in 2024. That gave her a speaking slot in the convention as well.
Rep. Veronica Escobar is working hard to keep El Paso on the map in Texas. The Trans-Pecos region is usually an afterthought in the large state. “The Progressives” starting with former Rep. Beto O’Rourke revitalized the city and Escobar was also a key player in that effort. I’ve been through El Paso and it was a very pleasant place thanks to their efforts. May she continue to look out for the interests of both the city and the nation.
Congressional Chronicle: Week of May 26, 2025
The latest on Capitol Hill when it comes to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Except for pro forma sessions, both chambers of Congress are adjourned until June 2nd, 2025. That means it is time for some town hall events and other goings on!
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Monday, May 26
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Lots of Memorial Day festivities!
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On Memorial Day, we reflect and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Today, I was honored to join Edgewood ISD and The Compadres for Scholarships for their annual Memorial Day ceremony. To our fallen service members and veterans—your courage will never be forgotten.
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— Joaquin Castro (@joaquincastrotx.bsky.social) May 26, 2025 at 2:34 PM
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On Memorial Day, we remember and honor the brave men and women throughout history who gave up their lives in service to our country.
We are forever grateful to these heroes – and we will never forget their sacrifice. 🇺🇸
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— Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (@salinas.house.gov) May 26, 2025 at 12:19 PM
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Memorial Day is a sacred reminder that our freedom was paid for with lives. We honor the service members who never came home—and the values they died defending: courage, duty, and love of country. The greatest tribute we can offer is to live in a way that honors their sacrifice.
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— Rep. Mike Levin (@levin.house.gov) May 26, 2025 at 5:36 PM
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Today, in the 31st district we paid our respects to those individuals, and their families, who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and our freedom. It was an honor to join the cities of El Monte, Covina, and La Verne to celebrate Memorial Day. Let us remember our heroes today and everyday.
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— Rep. Gil Cisneros (@cisneros.house.gov) May 26, 2025 at 5:25 PM
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This #MemorialDay, we remember the heroes who gave their lives in service to our country.
We honor their legacy by serving the living. That’s why I reintroduced the #MajorRichardStarAct with the Wounded Warrior Project to ensure veterans receive both their retirement pay & disability benefits.
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— Congressman Raul Ruiz, MD (@repraulruizmd.bsky.social) May 26, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Tuesday, May 27
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One town hall that I could find in New Mexico. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan attended.
Wednesday, May 28
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One town hall in Chicago that I could find by Rep. Delia Ramirez.
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Thank you to all our neighbors who said "presente" at yesterday's town hall in Logan Square!
Grateful for all the community members who came to have their voices heard, demonstrating what democracy looks like. We are clear: we'll keep fighting together to protect our communities and civil rights.
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— Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (@ramirez.house.gov) May 29, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Thursday, May 29
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Rep. Sam Liccardo held a town hall in the San Francisco area.
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Thank you for the warm welcome, Pacifica! Two hundred of us gathered to discuss the issues facing our country and our community. We’ll gather again for a town hall in Campbell in June – stay tuned for details! #TownHall
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— Rep. Sam Liccardo (@liccardo.house.gov) May 30, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Rep. Maxwell Frost was a part of a town hall in the Orlando area. I’ve found nothing else on it.
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Central Florida! Join me, Sen. Carlos G. Smith, and Rep. Anna V Eskamani this Thursday at 5pm to talk about what’s going on with the state and federal budgets. We’ll share updates and answer your questions. See you there! RSVP 👇🏾
www.mobilize.us/orangecounty...
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— Maxwell Frost (@maxwellfrost.bsky.social) May 27, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Friday, May 30
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Rep. Emily Randall was the guest featured on Tu Caucus. She talked about being a freshman in Congress.
