Asbarez: ANCA Endorses Tano Tijerina to Unseat Azerbaijan Caucus Co-Chair Henr

Incumbent Cuellar Was Indicted for Accepting $600,000 in Azerbaijani Bribes to Rig U.S. Policy against Artsakh and Armenia

WASHINGTON – The Armenian National Committee of America has endorsed Webb County Judge Tano E. Tijerina in his Republican campaign for Texas’s 28th Congressional District, where he is seeking to unseat Rep. Henry Cuellar — Co-Chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus whose, decades-long record of corruption in advancing Azerbaijani interests culminated in a federal indictment for accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from Azerbaijani government sources.

“Judge Tijerina brings to this race the integrity, the faith, and the commitment to community that South Texas deserves — and that Washington has been denied by Henry Cuellar’s corrupt ties to Azerbaijan,” said Aram Hamparian, ANCA Executive Director. “For over a decade, Cuellar worked to block U.S. support for Armenia, undermine Artsakh, and advance Baku’s interests on Capitol Hill — all while, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars in Azerbaijani bribes. South Texas voters have both an opportunity and a responsibility to throw Cuellar out of Congress.”

“I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Armenian National Committee and deeply grateful for their trust and support,” stated Judge Tijerina. “Together, we will continue building bridges of opportunity, respect, and shared prosperity for all our communities.”

Following outreach by the ANCA Texas team, Judge Tijerina, his wife Kimberly, and his campaign team visited ANCA’s national headquarters in the Nation’s Capital on April 22nd, sitting down with the ANCA’s DC staff for a substantive discussion of the full range of priorities advocated by ANCA Texas and Armenian Americans across the Lone Star State. The meeting covered Azerbaijan’s genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s Christian Armenians, the ongoing illegal detention of Armenian hostages in Baku, Azerbaijan’s systematic destruction of Armenian Christian churches, cemeteries, and sacred sites, the right of return for displaced Artsakh Armenians, and justice for the Armenian Genocide. The ANCA also praised Judge Tijerina’s longstanding commitment to fighting religious repression worldwide.

“TX-28 is ground zero in the fight to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its foreign interference in American democracy,” said ANCA Texas Co-Chair Phil Kanayan. “Judge Tijerina understands what is at stake — not just for Armenian Americans in Texas, but for every voter in this district who was betrayed by a Congressman who sold his vote to a foreign government. We are proud to stand with Judge Tijerina and will be working to deliver this seat back to the people of South Texas.”

Judge Tano Tijerina: Faith, Family, and a Record of Service
Judge Tijerina has served as Webb County’s 15th County Judge since 2015, currently in his third term. A native of Laredo, he earned his degree from Texas A&M International University after a professional baseball career that began when he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1993. As County Judge, he has championed public safety, mental health, infrastructure investment, and opportunities for young people — earning recognition from dozens of regional organizations including the Laredo Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Laredo, and LULAC. He previously served as Chairman of the Texas Border Coalition, where he led efforts to advance regional prosperity, secure borders, and fair immigration policy, and was appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas to serve on the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

A man of deep faith, Judge Tijerina has supported missionary work in India, Thailand, Panama, Central America, Mexico, and the United States — including efforts to aid victims of sex trafficking — a commitment that resonates with ANCA’s longstanding advocacy on behalf of persecuted Christian communities worldwide.

Henry Cuellar: A Decade of Betrayal
Rep. Henry Cuellar’s record on Armenian American priorities is one of consistent obstruction in service of Azerbaijan. As Co-Chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, Cuellar worked to block U.S. assistance to Artsakh, insert pro-Azerbaijan language into legislation and committee reports, and advance Baku’s geopolitical interests at the direct expense of Armenia’s security and sovereignty.

In May 2024, Cuellar and his wife were indicted on federal charges including bribery, conspiracy, acting as agents of foreign principals, and money laundering — accused of accepting over $598,000 from Azerbaijani state-controlled entities in exchange for advancing Azerbaijan’s agenda in Congress. Federal prosecutors detailed how Cuellar promised Azerbaijani contacts to influence U.S. foreign policy, deliver pro-Azerbaijan floor speeches, insert favorable legislative language, and arrange meetings with U.S. defense officials — all in exchange for payments that Azerbaijani diplomats tracked by referring to Cuellar as “el Jefe.”

In December 2025, President Trump pardoned Cuellar — a decision the ANCA condemned in the strongest terms as a free pass for foreign bribery. Within days, Trump himself soured on the arrangement: after Cuellar announced he would continue running as a Democrat, Trump publicly rebuked him for “a lack of LOYALTY” — making clear that even the president who pardoned him had concluded that Cuellar’s word could not be trusted.

“Henry Cuellar’s indictment was long overdue; his pardon a miscarriage of justice; his decision to run again an insult to every Texan who believes that foreign bribery should disqualify, not merely inconvenience, a sitting member of Congress,” added Hamparian.

Cuellar is now running for reelection in a district made more competitive under Texas’s newly drawn Congressional map. Armenian Americans across Texas — and advocates nationwide — are mobilizing to ensure that his bid fails.

The ANCA has actively targeted Cuellar for years through its #ExpelCuellar campaign, calling on the House to vote for his expulsion and on voters to reject him at the ballot box. Judge Tijerina’s candidacy represents the clearest path to accountability in TX-28.

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