KILLEEN, Texas — AnaLuisa Carrillo-Tapia was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, before her parents moved the family to El Paso, Texas.
"I'm very proud of where I'm from," said Carrillo-Tapia. "I'm proud of the fact that my family always said if you have a pot of beans and somebody shows up, you don't deny them a meal, you add a little bit of water, you take care of them."
Carrillo-Tapia said she has always had ties to the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), as both of her parents served in the organization while growing up in El Paso.
After working as a correctional officer for over 20 years, Carrillo-Tapia officially joined LULAC in 1994 and eventually climbed the ranks until taking over as director for LULAC District 17, which covers Coryell County all the way to Washington County in Houston, Texas.
"You didn't see us with our hand outstretched every time you saw us, because that's not what LULAC is about," said Carrillo-Tapia. "If you have my hand outstretched is more than likely because I'm helping you."
At the forefront of Carrillo-Tapia's work for LULAC is the case of Vanessa Guillén. She spearheaded the historic protests in May 2020 in front of Fort Hood, renamed Fort Cavazos, demanding answers about Guillén's disappearance, and continued leading the efforts after the signing of the I Am Vanessa Guillén Act in 2022.
"I'm a mother, I have two beautiful daughters, and to think that something like that could have happened to them. It's just something that within your own mind, you declare war and in the physical realm you declare war too," said Carrillo-Tapia.
Carrillo-Tapia is currently a member of LULAC's National Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, working tirelessly to protect the rights of servicemembers.
"We're a Latino organization, and will stand with our service members and it doesn't matter where you come from," said Carrillo-Tapia. "It doesn't matter your first language, what matters is that you served our country and because of you, I stand here free. We stand here free."
Watch an extended look at this story in Spanish below!
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