Speak English: Commissioner Sorry After Swipe At Judge Hidalgo

HOUSTON — As black smoke laced with dangerous chemicals spewed from the gutted tanks of the Intercontinental Terminals Co. petrochemical plant in Deer Park last week, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo shared frequent updates with constituents in English and in Spanish. Hidalgo's use of Spanish prompted sharp public criticism from Chambers County Commissioner Mark Tice, who demanded she speak English.

"She is a joke," Tice said. "English this is not Mexico."

Hidalgo, 28, who was sworn into office Jan. 1, was facing her first test as Harris County Judge, and as the head of Harris County Emergency Management, when she shared updates last week, alternating between English and Spanish.

Harris County, which includes Houston as well as other communities, has a population encroaching on 5 million with approximately a third of those residents who are Spanish speakers.

Still, Tice, a Chambers County Republican who was also sworn in for his initial term on Jan. 1, had an issue with Spanish speaking during a crisis.

During a phone interview with the Houston Chronicle on Tuesday, Tice admitted making those comments about Hidalgo.

"It's real simple," he said. "This is the United States. Speak English."

Tice added that he doesn't believe Hidalgo is qualified to hold the position of county judge.

Hours later, Tice walked back his comments in a Facebook post on his county page.

Hidalgo, who was born in Colombia and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, became Harris County's second youngest county judge, and the first Latin woman to hold the post.

Hidalgo's office issued the following statement on Tuesday:

"As the Head of Emergency Management, Judge Hidalgo is directly responsible for the safety of all 4.5 million residents of Harris County, a third of whom are Spanish speakers," said Kiran Khalid, who’s Hidalgo’s head of communications. "The vast majority of the public relies on local news for information in a time of crisis. Judge Hidalgo represents all of Harris County and given the county's composition and her bilingual skills, she will continue to communicate as broadly as possible especially when public safety is at stake."

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