Alfonso "Poncho" Nevárez Jr. is a former Democratic member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abo ...

. First elected in 2012, Nevárez announced in November 2019 that he would not seek re-election in 2020. This decision was ultimately connected to his arrest for cocaine possession later that month.

Texas House of Representatives

Nevárez ran for and won the seat after longtime Democratic incumbent

Pete Gallego Pete Peña Gallego (born December 2, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 23rd congressional district from 2013 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a member ...

left the office to make a successful run for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

. In May 2017,

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

state representative

Matt Rinaldi Matthew Daniel Rinaldi (born April 11, 1975) is an American attorney and politician serving as the chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. Rinaldi was a member of the Texas House of Representatives for district 115 in Dallas County from 2015 ...

called Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on protesters holding signs claiming to be

illegal immigrants Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwa ...

at the state capitol. After calling ICE, Rinaldi said that Nevárez "threatened my life on the House floor." Nevárez said that he put his hands on Rinaldi and told him to take his argument outside the House chamber, but denied threatening Rinaldi’s life. At the end of the 86th Texas legislative session in 2019, ''Texas Monthly'' included Nevárez on its 2019 "Worst Legislators" list. The magazine cited, among other reasons for the negative recognition, "Nevárez had used his own bill to try to turn a favor for a politically influential company that operates a radioactive waste dump in West Texas—a dump that’s not even in his district." In November 2019, Nevárez announced he would not be seeking re-election in 2020. Nevárez chaired the Border Security and Public Safety Committee, which oversaw the law enforcement agencies that were investigating him.

Cocaine possession charges

Surveillance footage showed Nevárez dropping an envelope stuffed with

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...

as he was leaving

Austin–Bergstrom International Airport Austin–Bergstrom International Airport, or ABIA , is a Class C international airport in Austin, Texas, United States, serving the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Located about southeast of downtown Austin, it covers and has two runways ...

in September 2019. Nevárez confirmed the cocaine was his and that the incident was the reason he was not seeking re-election. A warrant was issued for his arrest on

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

drug possession charges. On November 15, Nevárez turned himself in to authorities, and was released after posting a $10,000 bond.

Personal life

Born in

Eagle Pass, Texas Eagle Pass is a city in and the county seat of Maverick County in the U.S. state of Texas. Its population was 28,130 as of the 2020 census. Eagle Pass borders the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, which is to the southwest and across t ...

, he is the son of Alfonso Nevárez Sr. and Guillermina Castillon.Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 Nevárez was the first member of his family to graduate from college. In 1999, Nevárez graduated from

St. Mary's University School of Law St. Mary's University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of St. Mary's University, a private Catholic university located in San Antonio, Texas. Academics The School of Law has an enrollment of about 770 students, pursu ...

References

External links

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Legislative page
Living people Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Texas Texas politicians convicted of crimes 1972 births People from Eagle Pass, Texas University of Texas alumni St. Mary's University School of Law alumni 21st-century American politicians {{Texas-politician-stub