EL PASO, Tx., March 18, 2026: Earlier today, news broke that civil rights leader, Cesar Chavez sexually abused his longtime union partner, Dolores Huerta and other young women for years. The news has led many communities to reconsider their celebrations of Cesar Chavez, including El Paso.
In addition to the recent revelations that Cesar Chavez was abusive to young women, the historical record, often ignored, shows that Chavez was also anti-Mexican immigrant, often using the derogatory term, “wetbacks” to refer to Mexican migrants. Chavez also helped immigration officials deport Mexican migrants by providing them with lists of where they could be found.
El Paso Herald Post spoke exclusively to City Representative Lily Limón today. In a telephone call, Limón told us she was “horrified to learn about” the abuse that many young women suffered at the hands of Chavez. Limón told us that she will be asking her colleagues at the city council to consider asking El Paso’s state legislators to consider renaming the Cesar Chavez Border Highway to Benito Juárez.
There is a statue of Abraham Lincoln in Cd. Juárez on a major street connecting El Paso to Juárez that is named Avenida Lincoln. The reason for the statue and the street name is because Benito Juárez and Abraham Lincoln – who never met in person – developed a strong affection for each other through letters they exchanged as each faced war in their countries. Lincoln was fighting the Civil War while Juárez was fighting French invaders.
Limón told us that she believes that naming the highway Benito Juárez “is an appropriate recognition” of the longtime relationship between the two cities and the two countries.
We spoke to State Representative Vince Perez (D-77) about the allegations and Limón’s idea to have the state legislators rename the border highway. In an email, Perez wrote:
“The allegations reported today are deeply disturbing. The individuals who came forward did so with extraordinary courage, and their voices must be heard, respected, and met with the full weight of our attention.
There is no circumstance in which abuse or the silencing of victims can be excused. Survivors deserve to be believed. They deserve dignity. They deserve accountability.
In the coming days and weeks, there will undoubtedly be discussions at various levels of government about whether existing public memorials should be renamed.
The farmworker movement, and the broader fight for workers’ rights, were built on the principles of dignity, justice, and respect for every person. Organized labor remains one of the most important forces in giving voice to the voiceless, protecting the vulnerable, and improving the lives of working families.
For any discussions that require action at the state level, I believe they should be guided by those same values. Any decision about our public memorials should honor not only history, but the highest ideals of the farmworker movement: respect for human dignity, solidarity with the vulnerable, and an unwavering commitment to justice. That is the standard the people of El Paso deserve, and it is the standard I will bring to any conversation ahead.”
This is a developing story. We will add additional reporting as soon as it becomes available.
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