Policies & Positions

Affordable housing has become a growing challenge—not only in big cities but across rural towns and small communities. When my wife and I moved to Laredo in 2022 for her work, we quickly realized how limited the housing options were. Prices were higher than in San Antonio, homes were smaller and more expensive, and the overall supply was extremely tight. In the end, we chose to rent because it was more affordable, especially as interest rates kept rising.

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Laredo is not alone. The lack of affordable housing affects families throughout TX-28, where rising rents, limited supply, and aging infrastructure are putting pressure on working people. Short-term rentals, restrictive zoning, stagnant wages, and high construction costs all play a role, but identifying the causes isn’t enough—we need solutions.

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Cities and counties can support families through Public Housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, and Mixed-Income developments, and I believe we must strengthen this work. I support public, private, and nonprofit efforts to expand affordable options in both urban and rural parts of the district. I will fight to increase housing supply, give rural communities the tools they need to build, and ensure federal resources are used effectively to keep homes within reach. By streamlining construction, preserving existing neighborhoods, and expanding paths to homeownership, we can ensure every family has a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.

​I believe in a tax system that is fair and just. Hardworking families, teachers, firefighters, nurses, and small business owners should never shoulder a heavier tax burden than billionaires and corporate executives. Everyone should contribute their fair share, and there should be no loopholes allowing the wealthiest to hide their fortunes offshore or exploit the system. Taxes should reflect our values: funding quality schools, accessible healthcare, safe communities, and opportunities for every working family—not just protecting the wealth of the few. It’s time for a system where everyone plays by the same rules and the middle class can thrive without being squeezed.

As the son of a Mexican immigrant, immigration reform and justice are deeply personal to me. I support law enforcement, but I cannot support the discriminatory targeting of Hispanic communities by masked, unidentified agents. If someone must hide their identity, they cannot be held accountable—and accountability is essential in any just system.

Enforcement should focus on criminals, not children, grandmothers, or hard-working people who contribute to our communities. We need the federal government to deliver fair, humane, and consistent immigration policies.

It’s time to reassess our immigration system for relevance, fairness, and ethical enforcement—and then modernize it through comprehensive reform. DACA recipients deserve real relief and a pathway to residency and citizenship. And we cannot tolerate an immigration process that disadvantages some groups while favoring others.

Political grandstanding—photo ops at the border, inflammatory rhetoric, and constant complaints—does nothing to fix the root problems. We need solutions, starting with repairing our broken legal immigration process and creating a system that reflects our values and our reality.

Border security is often discussed alongside immigration, but the two are distinct issues with different challenges and solutions. I know the border firsthand. I was born and raised in Laredo, and I grew up spending time on my father’s ranch on the Nuevo Laredo side, with riverfront access to the Rio Grande. To me, the border is not an abstract policy debate—it’s home.

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Border security is a complex problem, and too often it gets reduced to slogans and oversimplified fixes. A wall may sound like a straightforward answer, but it does not address the realities on the ground. The threats we face—drug trafficking, human trafficking, cartel violence, and organized smuggling networks—are sophisticated, coordinated, and constantly evolving. Meanwhile, guns and cash flow southbound, fueling criminal organizations and making the situation even more dangerous.

True border security requires a comprehensive, modern approach. We need smarter infrastructure, not just more barriers. We need advanced technology that gives our law enforcement agencies real visibility into what is coming into the country and what is leaving. And we need to ensure that our frontline personnel—Customs and Border Protection, local law enforcement, and federal agencies—have the staffing, training, and coordination they require to do their jobs effectively and safely.

A secure border is built through strategy, investment, and collaboration—not through simplistic solutions that fail to address the root causes or the operational realities of life along the Rio Grande. My commitment is to pursue policies that actually work, that respect the people who live and work on the border, and that keep our communities on both sides safe.

I know what it’s like to not have health insurance, growing up we had to cross into Nuevo Laredo to see a doctor, a dentist and get medications.

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According to the Census Bureau, there are 19.15% or 156,088 people in our Congressional District without health insurance, and 26,370 are children under 19 years of age. The failure to expand Medicaid is why Texas has the highest uninsured rate. Through expansion, enrollment eligibility is extended to nearly all low-income individuals with incomes at or below 138% of the poverty line. If Texas expanded Medicaid, approximately 1.4 million more uninsured people would become eligible for the program. Therefore, I support expanding Medicaid in Texas as the first step toward improving access to universal healthcare. Additionally, I believe that expanding the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) subsidies will allow more people to afford health insurance.

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Healthcare access is not merely about having health insurance; it also includes improving access to medical facilities through transit options, reducing the costs of prescription drugs and out-of-pocket health care expenses, and reducing overall insurance costs. Some of the drivers to obtaining health insurance are the lack of employer-sponsored plans and the high cost of insurance, which create barriers for working populations.

As a doctor and a long-time advocate for evidence-based public policy, I am deeply committed to confronting the health inequities that persist across our communities. These inequities are not random—they stem from systemic, avoidable, and unjust social and economic policies and practices that shape people’s opportunities long before they ever step into a clinic.

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Health outcomes are influenced far more by our environment and circumstances than by medical care alone. The key drivers of health inequities include economic stability, the physical environment, social and community conditions, educational opportunities, and the structure of our healthcare system itself. Each of these drivers contains its own set of disparities—gaps in income, housing quality, air and water safety, access to nutritious food, community support, school funding, preventive care, and treatment options.

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These aren’t abstract concepts; they translate into real differences in life expectancy, chronic disease, maternal health, and overall well-being. Across neighborhoods that may be only a few miles apart, we can see decades-long differences in lifespan. That is unacceptable.

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But these inequities are not inevitable. There are proven strategies to reduce and ultimately eliminate these gaps—investing in early childhood education, improving housing and environmental quality, strengthening economic mobility, expanding access to preventive and primary care, and building a healthcare system that is affordable, transparent, and truly accessible for every family.

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Where we live, work, or were born should never determine how long we live. Health is a fundamental human right, and building a fairer, healthier future requires tackling the root causes of inequity with intention, urgency, and compassion.

As a veteran, I am deeply committed to the well-being of our military service members and those who have served. I believe we have a profound responsibility to ensure that every veteran receives the care, support, and opportunities they have earned. This means addressing their healthcare needs comprehensively, protecting their entitlements, and removing barriers that prevent their full integration into civilian life.

I am particularly concerned about access to mental health and behavioral health services, which remain critically underfunded and often difficult to navigate. No one who has served our country should face these challenges alone. Every veteran deserves timely, high-quality care that respects their dignity and addresses the invisible wounds of service.

Equally, I believe that homelessness among veterans is unacceptable. We must invest in robust social work programs and wraparound services that provide a stable home environment, mental health support, and pathways to education and employment. By expanding opportunities and building stronger networks of care, we can ensure that every veteran has the chance not just to survive, but to thrive.

Our veterans have given so much for our country. It is our duty to give back—to honor their service with meaningful action, comprehensive support, and unwavering commitment to their future.

I grew up hunting and have always respected firearms. I own guns myself, and I take seriously the responsibility of keeping them locked up, unloaded, and completely out of the reach of children. I firmly believe in the importance of protecting the 2nd Amendment, but I also believe that protecting our communities means implementing reasonable, common-sense gun safety measures.

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That’s why I support universal background checks for every gun sale—new and used—so that known and suspected terrorists, domestic abusers, and individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others cannot legally obtain firearms. I also believe gun owners must be held accountable for safely storing their weapons to prevent unauthorized use in tragedies we’ve seen far too often.

Simply put: owning a gun is a serious responsibility, and it shouldn’t be easier to buy or acquire a firearm than it is to register and vote in Texas. Reasonable gun laws are not about taking away rights—they are about keeping our families, schools, and neighborhoods safe while honoring the freedoms our Constitution guarantees.