{"id":13470,"date":"2026-04-01T19:57:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T19:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/?p=13470"},"modified":"2026-04-01T19:57:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T19:57:12","slug":"unapologetic-advocacy-in-the-face-of-silence-and-hate-chairman-ramon-romero-jr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/01\/unapologetic-advocacy-in-the-face-of-silence-and-hate-chairman-ramon-romero-jr\/","title":{"rendered":"Unapologetic Advocacy in the Face of Silence and Hate: Chairman Ram\u00f3n Romero Jr."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By Jessica Molina<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Imagine having your femur broken at four years old in a racially motivated attack. This is what Chairman Ram\u00f3n Romero Jr. experienced as a child in Texas. He grew up in an era where race-related violence and division were deeply embedded in the culture. Yet, he did not let that experience limit how he sees himself or others. Instead, it inspires how he builds relationships and approaches his work.<\/p>\n

Today, he serves as Chairman of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus in Texas and as a State Representative in Fort Worth. The caucus, the oldest and largest Latino legislative caucus in the nation, is bipartisan and represents communities across Texas, including the Mexico-Texas border. His work includes informing the public about legislative activity and advocating for Latino and immigrant communities.<\/p>\n

When educating the public, Romero describes what he sees as overreach of power from both Texas Governor Greg Abbott and President Donald Trump. In 2021, following President Trump\u2019s direction, Texas Republicans passed congressional district maps that were widely criticized for disproportionately favoring Republican control. According to Romero, this would make it harder for Latino votes to make an impact, even in areas where they make up a large share of the population. More recently, he argues that Governor Greg Abbott bypassed the legislature by directing state agencies to implement anti-immigrant practices, despite those same proposals being rejected by lawmakers.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the Texas Department of Licensing, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, all of these groups now have to determine whether or not you have legal presence, legal status.\u201d<\/p>\n

Romero is familiar with the significance of legal status. He grew up in a mixed-status home, where some of his family members were citizens and others were not. Because of his upbringing, he rejects the idea that presence alone makes someone a criminal. This perspective shapes how he speaks openly and without hesitation.<\/p>\n

\u201cKids that were brought here by their parents\u2026 these children did not know they committed a crime. How could anyone call that person a criminal? I call them anything but that. They\u2019re heroes\u2026 These are the next leaders\u2026 These are the people that love their community\u2026 These are not criminals, and these are absolutely our neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n

This level of outspokenness for immigrant rights is not always heard in places like Ohio. Immigrant advocates describe communities as \u201cliving in the shadows,\u201d afraid to leave their homes. Also, those working alongside immigrants often feel pressure to remain silent out of fear of retaliation from employers or funders. Romero describes this as an \u201cold school\u2026 patron system,\u201d where people stay silent out of fear of losing their jobs or standing. His response is direct: \u201cWe have to tell them, \u2018Stop whispering. Don\u2019t whisper. If you\u2019re gonna whisper, then just don\u2019t talk to me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

To further explain the silence and apathy he sees, Romero shares what he calls the \u201cPa\u2019 qu\u00e9\u201d story, which goes like:\u00a0 \u201cLe digo, \u2018Se\u00f1or, vote por m\u00ed.\u2019 Y \u00e9l me dice: \u2018\u00bfPor qu\u00e9? Porque todos son iguales\u2026 \u00bfY pa\u2019 qu\u00e9? Mire, ya pagu\u00e9 mi casa\u2026 Todo va bien. \u00bfPa\u2019 qu\u00e9?\u2019\u201d He\u2019s describing an older generation who have paid off their homes, their children have graduated, and feel content enough to disengage from politics altogether.<\/p>\n

Romero argues that this pressure for silence is not accidental. He describes an intentional, broader system that reinforces division, keeping \u201cpoor Black, Brown and White people mad at each other,\u201d rather than focused on shared interests. Reflecting on the childhood attack that left him with a broken femur, Romero said, \u201cIt wasn\u2019t the guy\u2019s fault.\u201d The person who hurt him, he explained, was \u201ca victim of the same society that taught us to hate each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Romero was also shaped by his environment. He became a young father, raising three children while still in high school. He moved out of his home at 16, experienced a drug addiction at 17, and nearly dropped out. Still, he found a way, not only to graduate, but to rise near the top of his class.<\/p>\n

Romero\u2019s upbringing makes the work personal for him. He shares that his experiences are reflective of the people he now represents, and he represents them with urgency.<\/p>\n

He emphasizes the importance of showing up and being visible. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to put our faces, names, and money on the line.\u201d The urgency of his work extends into economics as well. Romero believes that immigration is necessary for our country\u2019s economic advantage. He describes that immigrants come here to work, and that their roles in our construction, housing, and food industries, to name a few, help deliver quality services and keep costs down.<\/p>\n

Romero\u2019s dare to dream mindset has consistently rejected the roles others tried to assign to him, and to those he represents. Instead, he chooses to speak, act, and work toward a different future. Through proudly sharing his platform, Romero believes that people can and will combat the anti-immigrant forces. He even said he believes a Latino presidential candidate is inevitable and hopes to still be in public service when that moment comes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/a>Alzando la voz en medio del silencio y el odio: Ram\u00f3n Romero Jr., presidente del Caucus M\u00e9xico Americano en Texas<\/strong><\/p>\n

Por Jessica Molina<\/p>\n

Imagina tener el f\u00e9mur roto a los cuatro a\u00f1os en un ataque motivado por racismo. Eso fue lo que vivi\u00f3 el presidente del caucus, Ram\u00f3n Romero Jr., cuando era ni\u00f1o en Texas. Creci\u00f3 en tiempos donde la violencia y la divisi\u00f3n racial estaban muy presentes en la cultura. Aun as\u00ed, no dej\u00f3 que esa experiencia limitara c\u00f3mo se ve a s\u00ed mismo ni a los dem\u00e1s. Al contrario, eso inspira la manera en que forma relaciones y hace su trabajo.<\/p>\n

Hoy, es presidente del Caucus Legislativo M\u00e9xico Americano en Texas y representante estatal en Fort Worth. El caucus, el m\u00e1s antiguo y grande de legisladores latinos en el pa\u00eds, es bipartidista, con miembros de ambos partidos, y representa comunidades en todo Texas, incluyendo la frontera entre M\u00e9xico y Texas. Su trabajo incluye informar al p\u00fablico sobre lo que pasa en la legislatura y defender a las comunidades latinas e inmigrantes.<\/p>\n

Al educar al p\u00fablico, Romero habla de lo que \u00e9l ve como un abuso de poder tanto del gobernador de Texas, Greg Abbott, como del presidente Donald Trump. En 2021, siguiendo la direcci\u00f3n del presidente Trump, los republicanos de Texas aprobaron mapas de distritos que fueron muy criticados por favorecer el control republicano. Seg\u00fan Romero, esto har\u00eda m\u00e1s dif\u00edcil que los votos latinos tengan impacto, aun en \u00e1reas donde representan una gran parte de la poblaci\u00f3n. M\u00e1s recientemente, \u00e9l dice que el gobernador Abbott evit\u00f3 al poder legislativo al ordenar a agencias estatales implementar pr\u00e1cticas antiinmigrantes, aunque esas mismas propuestas ya hab\u00edan sido rechazadas por los legisladores.<\/p>\n

\u201cDesde el Departamento de Licencias de Texas, el Departamento de Veh\u00edculos Motorizados, el Departamento de Vivienda y Asuntos Comunitarios, todos estos grupos ahora tienen que decidir si tienes presencia legal o estatus legal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Romero conoce bien lo que significa el estatus legal. Creci\u00f3 en un hogar de estatus mixto, donde algunos miembros de su familia eran ciudadanos y otros no. Por eso, no cree que vivir aqu\u00ed sin papeles haga a alguien un criminal. Esa perspectiva se refleja en c\u00f3mo habla, de forma directa y sin dudar.<\/p>\n

\u201cNi\u00f1os que fueron tra\u00eddos aqu\u00ed por sus padres\u2026 estos ni\u00f1os no sab\u00edan que estaban cometiendo un delito. \u00bfC\u00f3mo puede alguien llamar a esa persona un criminal? Yo les llamo de todo menos eso. Son h\u00e9roes\u2026 Son los pr\u00f3ximos l\u00edderes\u2026 Son personas que aman a su comunidad\u2026 No son criminales, son nuestros vecinos.\u201d<\/p>\n

Este nivel de claridad en la defensa de los derechos de los inmigrantes no siempre se ve en lugares como Ohio. Defensores describen comunidades que \u201cviven en las sombras\u201d, con miedo de salir de sus casas. Tambi\u00e9n, quienes trabajan con inmigrantes muchas veces sienten presi\u00f3n de quedarse callados por miedo a represalias de empleadores o financiadores. Romero describe esto como un \u201csistema viejo\u2026 como de patr\u00f3n\u201d, donde la gente guarda silencio por miedo a perder su trabajo o su posici\u00f3n. Su respuesta es directa: \u201cTenemos que decirles, \u2018dejen de susurrar. No susurren. Si van a susurrar, mejor no me hablen.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Para explicar mejor el silencio y el desinter\u00e9s que ve, Romero comparte lo que \u00e9l llama la historia del \u201cPa\u2019 qu\u00e9\u201d: \u201cLe digo, \u2018Se\u00f1or, vote por m\u00ed.\u2019 Y \u00e9l me dice: \u2018\u00bfPor qu\u00e9? Porque todos son iguales\u2026 \u00bfY pa\u2019 qu\u00e9? Mire, ya pagu\u00e9 mi casa\u2026 Todo va bien. \u00bfPa\u2019 qu\u00e9?\u2019\u201d Est\u00e1 describiendo a una generaci\u00f3n mayor que ya pag\u00f3 sus casas, cuyos hijos ya se graduaron, y que se sienten lo suficientemente bien como para no meterse en la pol\u00edtica.<\/p>\n

Romero dice que esta presi\u00f3n para guardar silencio no es coincidencia. Describe un sistema m\u00e1s amplio que mantiene la divisi\u00f3n, dejando a \u201cpersonas pobres, negras, latinas y blancas enojadas entre s\u00ed,\u201d en lugar de enfocarse en lo que tienen en com\u00fan. Al recordar el ataque de su infancia, dijo: \u201cNo fue culpa de ese hombre.\u201d Explic\u00f3 que quien le hizo da\u00f1o era \u201cuna v\u00edctima de la misma sociedad que nos ense\u00f1\u00f3 a odiarnos.\u201d<\/p>\n

Romero tambi\u00e9n fue influenciado por el entorno en el que creci\u00f3. Fue padre muy joven, criando a tres hijos mientras a\u00fan estaba en la preparatoria. Se fue de su casa a los 16 a\u00f1os, enfrent\u00f3 una adicci\u00f3n a los 17 y casi deja la escuela. Aun as\u00ed, encontr\u00f3 la manera no solo de graduarse, sino de estar entre los mejores de su clase.<\/p>\n

Su historia hace que su trabajo sea personal. Dice que sus experiencias reflejan las de las personas a las que ahora representa, y por eso act\u00faa con urgencia.<\/p>\n

Tambi\u00e9n resalta la importancia de dar la cara y ser visible. \u201cTenemos que poner nuestras caras, nuestros nombres y nuestro dinero en juego.\u201d Esa urgencia tambi\u00e9n se extiende a la econom\u00eda. Romero cree que la inmigraci\u00f3n es necesaria para el crecimiento econ\u00f3mico del pa\u00eds. Dice que los inmigrantes vienen a trabajar, y los trabajos que tienen en la construcci\u00f3n de viviendas, la construcci\u00f3n y la industria alimentaria, entre otros, ayudan a ofrecer servicios de calidad y a mantener los costos bajos.<\/p>\n

La forma de pensar de Romero, de atreverse a so\u00f1ar, nunca acept\u00f3 los roles que otros le quisieron poner a \u00e9l y a las personas que representa. En cambio, decide hablar, actuar y trabajar por un futuro diferente. Al compartir su plataforma con orgullo, cree que la gente puede y va a enfrentar las fuerzas antiinmigrantes. Incluso dijo que cree que un candidato presidencial latino es inevitable y espera seguir en el servicio p\u00fablico cuando ese momento llegue.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Jessica Molina Imagine having your femur broken at four years old in a racially motivated attack. This is what Chairman Ram\u00f3n Romero Jr. experienced as a child in Texas. He grew up in an era where race-related violence and division were deeply embedded in the culture. Yet, he did not let that experience limit<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13472,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_rtcl_gb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[305],"class_list":["post-13470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"aioseo_notices":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Romero-1.jpeg",700,403,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Romero-1.jpeg",700,403,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Romero-1.jpeg",700,403,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Romero-1-150x150.jpeg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Romero-1-300x173.jpeg",300,173,true],"large":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Romero-1.jpeg",640,368,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Romero-1.jpeg",700,403,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Romero-1.jpeg",700,403,false],"rtcl-gallery":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Romero-1.jpeg",700,403,false],"rtcl-thumbnail":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Romero-1-320x240.jpeg",320,240,true],"rtcl-gallery-thumbnail":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Romero-1-150x105.jpeg",150,105,true],"psacp-medium":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Romero-1-500x403.jpeg",500,403,true],"rpwe-thumbnail":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Romero-1-45x45.jpeg",45,45,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"LaPrensa Newspaper","author_link":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/author\/laprensa\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Articles<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"By Jessica Molina Imagine having your femur broken at four years old in a racially motivated attack. This is what Chairman Ram\u00f3n Romero Jr. experienced as a child in Texas. He grew up in an era where race-related violence and division were deeply embedded in the culture. Yet, he did not let that experience limit","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13470"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13474,"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13470\/revisions\/13474"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13470"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=13470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}