A new Texas congresswoman has called for the defunding of Mexican cartels that are in control of the U.S. Southwest border.

U.S. Congresswoman Mayra Flores stated that “we need to defund cartels” during an exclusive interview in Spanish with Breitbart news. She spoke about how Mexican criminal organizations are the only ones who benefit from the current border crisis.

Flores became history when she became the first Mexican-born female member of the House of Representatives in June. Texas Congressional District 34 was historically a stronghold for Democrats. Flores won the election.

Flores stated, “Unfortunately, there is a border under control of criminal organizations.” Flores was referring to operational control by the Gulf Cartel along the border with the Cartel Del Noreste faction from Los Zetas. The Gulf Cartel currently operates one of the busiest human- and drug trafficking corridors within Flores’s area. It is a sad fact that no one can cross into the country without paying thousands of dollars to criminal groups.

She said that the issue has been ignored by Washington’s politicians and created a vicious cycle of violence and abuse in which children and women suffer unimaginable horrors from cartel-connected smugglers.

Victims are often subject to physical and sexual abuse. Other cases involve victims being kidnapped or held for ransom. Flores said, “It’s something that is happening that in fact, it embarrasses us that it is happening here because we are better than this.”

Flores claims that defunding cartels would be possible by securing borders and creating a simplified process for legal immigration.

She stated that she believes we must secure our borders and allow legal immigrants to come to the country legally. “Where there’s a safe way for people to come, they won’t have to go through the hell, as I said before.”