Betty Flores

[1] While working at Aztec, a nonprofit that buildings housing for people with low incomes, that she began to grow interested in local politics.

[4] Flores spoke with then-Governor Ann Richards at the 1997 National Conference of La Raza about a potential run.

Flores was the first Mexican-American and Tejana female mayor of a major American city along the United States' border with Mexico.

[1][3] Cross-border issues became a major concern for Flores, and she gained media attention when she suggested that border patrol agents should give illegal immigrants "a bottle of water and send them on their way.

"[2] Laredo sits at the start of Interstate 35, a major border crossing that carries goods from Mexico into the United States.

[2] Following the adoption of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, Laredo became one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country.

[2] Following his death, she joined Mothers Against Drunk Driving and spoke to students as part of Texas War on Drugs, a program run by Ross Perot.