Vasquez posts bond, pleads no contest after TX authorities execute warrant

In March, police in El Paso, Texas, executed an arrest warrant against New Mexico Democratic congressman Gabe Vasquez, according to court documents obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

The documents reveal that Vasquez failed to appear in court over two decades ago, in 2002, following charges of driving without a license, driving without insurance, and disregarding an “official traffic control device.” Subsequently, he was cited for failure to appear in court in September 2007, leading to an arrest warrant being issued in April 2008.

An El Paso constable executed the warrant on March 19. Vasquez paid a cash bond of nearly $900, pleaded no contest, and waived his right to a jury trial. According to court filings, Vasquez faces a pre-trial hearing in September and risks a conviction and forfeiture of his bond if he does not appear. A spokesperson for Vasquez described the September hearing as an “administrative mistake” and promised to provide the necessary documentation.

Vasquez’s plea document identifies his employment as “United States Congress.”

Despite the legal issues, Vasquez continued his public duties. On March 19, as his representative paid the bond, Vasquez hosted a “tele-town hall.” The following day, he issued a statement criticizing a “dangerous Supreme Court ruling” that allowed Texas to enforce a law permitting local police to arrest migrants temporarily.

“These traffic fines from over two decades ago when the congressman was 18 years old were paid off and no further action has been requested,” stated Vasquez’s campaign manager, Dylan McArthur.

Born in El Paso, Vasquez now resides in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Before his congressional run in 2022, he spent years criticizing law enforcement. During the summer of 2020, he called for the deconstruction and rebuilding of systems he described as oppressive, including law enforcement and the economy. He stated, “As long as white folks dominate this nation’s wealth and preside over our nation’s governing bodies and judicial systems, the racism, killing, and injustice will continue.”

While serving on the Las Cruces City Council, Vasquez often advocated for cutting police budgets and reforming law enforcement practices. In emails to constituents in 2020, he highlighted his involvement in a “small police-council group” focused on de-escalation guidelines and expressed strong support for police reform and the Black Lives Matter movement. “I wholeheartedly and absolutely support police reform and the #blacklivesmatter movement, and will not be stopping short of transformational reform that brings justice to our city and to people of color in our community,” he wrote.

During his 2022 congressional campaign, Vasquez shifted his public stance, removing social media posts that rationalized rioting after George Floyd’s death. He positioned himself as a law enforcement supporter, telling CNN he did not believe defunding the police was a path to fair criminal justice. In one campaign ad, he featured a retired sheriff affirming Vasquez’s support for law enforcement.

Vasquez narrowly won his congressional seat in 2022, defeating Republican incumbent Yvette Herrell by less than one point. He has launched his reelection campaign and will face Herrell again in a rematch this November.

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23 thoughts on “Vasquez posts bond, pleads no contest after TX authorities execute warrant”

  1. I’d like to dedicate the song” I Fought the Law but the Law Won” to Gabe Vasquez. It was sung by fellow El Pasoan Bobby Fuller in the mid 1960s.

  2. Vasquez has a bright future as a New Mexico District Attorney when he is no longer in Congress. He has all the necessary Democrat street cred.

  3. MELCOLM L PERALTA

    I’d like to tell Vasquez that I am Hispanic, and have never been stopped for doing the right thing. I also was brought up to say yes or no sir/ma’am, and be polite in general. Police have a very hard job with people being mad about being stopped and they are just doing their job.

  4. Jose Francisco Lopez

    A typical democrat, they don’t like law enforcement then complains about crime. Vasquez doesn’t only complain about the law but breaks it. What law abiding citizen drives without a driver’s license, then doesn’t show up to court, and he’s a congressman? Who votes for people like him.

  5. How do these inept and unqualified people with tainted racist backgrounds get into an office of representing all people in congress?

  6. Previous post on Vasquez… he’s Pathetic and he’s big , huge, gargantuan Pathetic . Mimics his party.

    1. BB ……..in case you don’t know it……….we no longer have fair elections in New Mexico. Just ask Professor David Clements and his wife Erin. Watch their documentary “Let my people go.”

  7. Ummmm, ticket warrants when he was 18 years old. Meanwhile, a 78 year old was just convicted of 34 felonies, but it running for president. Just saying.

  8. Ummmm, ticket warrants when he was 18 years old. Meanwhile, a 78 year old was just convicted of 34 felonies, but is running for president. Just saying.

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