Rep. Carlos Curbelo said the CHC would be sending the wrong message to Hispanic Republicans and independents if it excludes him from the caucus. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Hispanic caucus weighs whether to let Republican join

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus could decide by Thursday whether to add Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) to its ranks over the protest of several Democrats.

The CHC is waiting on guidance from the House Administration Committee about whether it has to let Curbelo join the historically Democratic Caucus and hopes to receive the verdict by Thursday’s weekly meeting, CHC Chairwoman Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) told POLITICO.


“We asked them to be quick, and we’re hoping that we get something by our meeting tomorrow,” Lujan Grisham said Wednesday. “I’d like to be able to have that in front of the members so we can continue to have that discussion.”

The CHC decided to table the issue last week after outcry from some members about Curbelo joining the caucus, calling it a political ploy on his part to improve his reelection chances.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won Curbelo’s Miami-area district last year, and it remains a top target for Democrats heading into the 2018 midterms. Curbelo’s district is 70 percent Latino, according to current census data.

Curbelo said the CHC would be sending the wrong message to Hispanic Republicans and independents if it excludes him from the caucus.

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“The Congressional Hispanic Caucus should not discriminate against any American of Hispanic descent,” Curbelo said in a statement. “The CHC should focus on uniting America’s Hispanic community in support of issues like compassionate immigration reform, economic growth and opportunity, and better education.”

Lujan Grisham wouldn’t comment on whether she thought it was a purely political move by Curbelo to join but did say she understands where other members are coming from.

“He has to rebut that presumption, particularly after the way he’s managed it publicly,” she said. “In this climate in particular, there are members of my caucus and members of even the Democratic Caucus who share, I think, credible reservations about what impact that can have.”

Curbelo has yet to sign on to the DREAM Act, despite multiple requests from CHC members, according to Lujan Grisham. The bipartisan bill would provide a pathway to citizenship for the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers — young immigrants living in the country illegally who were brought to it as children — who could face deportation when President Donald Trump ends a federal work permitting program in March.

Curbelo has introduced his own, more conservative version of the DREAM Act, but several Democrats said he should sign on to their bill if he’s sincere about being a productive member of the CHC.

“Being a part of the caucus doesn’t prevent him from being on the DREAM Act [or] from working on any number of caucus priorities,” Lujan Grisham said. “There’s not a requirement that you be a member of the caucus to support our agenda, so why doesn’t he support our agenda?”

Later on Wednesday, Curbelo tweeted, "There are multiple bills in Congress designed to protect #Dreamers. I'll support any of them. It's about Dreamers not about who gets credit."

CHC members also have concerns about letting Curbelo attend their private meetings, which are often focused on strategies aimed at rebutting anti-immigration efforts by Republicans in Congress and the administration.

“In those caucuses, we have very specific conversations about strategy. How do we deal with the White House? How do we deal with Homeland Security?” Lujan Grisham said. “Can you imagine the climate and the environment, the negative environment, if people don’t trust each other?”

Curbelo didn’t respond directly to criticisms about his decision not to sign on to Democrats’ Dreamers bill or that he’s trying to join the group out of political calculus. The Washington Examiner first reported the CHC’s decision to table the issue last week.

Curbelo is a member of the CHC’s nonprofit educational arm, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. He joined the CHCI’s advisory council in April.

“It might be a little uncomfortable, but if we want to fix Congress and restore the people’s trust and confidence in this institution, we are all going to have reach beyond our comfort zones,” he said.

