Puerto Rico-Born Labrador Top Republican on Immigration
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Raul Labrador, a Tea Party favorite, has emerged as House Republicans’ go-to negotiator on immigration. He is unusually prepared for the task: The Puerto Rico-born Mormon convert is a lawyer fluent in Spanish who has represented undocumented residents fighting deportation.
Labrador, first elected to Congress from Idaho in 2010 with anti-tax Tea Party support, is playing a significant role in his party’s move to revise immigration law and re-engage with Hispanic voters who have turned Democratic. Still, he has been a rebel within the Republican Party. This year, he stood silent on John Boehner’s re-election as House speaker.