El Paso City Representative Lily Limón is gearing up for a symbolic border battle, saying Wednesday she will ask her colleagues to urge state lawmakers to consider renaming the César Chávez Border Highway in honor of Benito Juárez instead. Limón said the idea comes in response to a wave of national reporting that has surfaced new allegations about Chávez’s conduct and pushed organizations to rethink public tributes. The proposal would trade a name long tied to the farmworker movement for that of a statesman widely respected on both sides of the border.
As first reported by the El Paso Herald Post, Limón told the paper she was “horrified to learn about” the allegations and would ask the council to request that state legislators take up a potential renaming. The Herald Post reported that Limón argued the Benito Juárez name would “be an appropriate recognition” of the long-standing relationship between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez. Martín Paredes published the local account on March 18.
The push comes on the heels of national coverage, including an investigation by The New York Times, that laid out sexual abuse allegations involving Chávez. In a March 17 statement, the UFW Foundation said the claims “involve inappropriate behavior by Cesar Chavez with young women and minors” and that it had canceled all César Chávez Day activities, according to the UFW Foundation. The foundation added that it would focus on survivor safety while partners and leaders decide what to do next.
How a Renaming Would Work
Loop 375 is a state highway, officially designated in El Paso as the César Chávez Border Highway, so any change to that name would typically need action from the Texas Legislature, along with coordination from the Texas Department of Transportation. According to TxDOT planning documents, the Loop 375 César Chávez Highway designation appears in Border Highway West project materials. Limón’s plan, which starts with asking the city council to formally request that state lawmakers take up the issue, tracks with that usual procedural path.
City Leaders Weigh In
State Rep. Vince Perez wrote in an email that “The allegations reported today are deeply disturbing,” adding that survivors deserve dignity, belief and accountability, the El Paso Herald Post reports. Perez also said that any debate over public memorials should reflect the highest ideals of the farmworker movement, including respect for human dignity and solidarity with the vulnerable. Local officials say council staff will need to work with state legislators and TxDOT before any name on the highway signs can change…