Feliciano “Felix” Hinojosa

Feliciano “Felix” Hinojosa was born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in Segundo Barrio. In the early 1960s, he became an active member of the Chamizal Civic Association, and later association president, after his father asked him to intervene on Chamizal residents’ behalf.

At that time, Feliciano’s father, Pascual Hinojosa, was a Segundo Barrio resident living in the Chamizal condemned zone. There, Pascual and his wife, Altagracia, had lived in their home at 1214 S. Oregon Street since migrating to the U.S. in 1910. The Hinojosa family home at 1214 S. Oregon Street would later be demolished as part of the Chamizal Treaty. Today, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Facility stands where this home once stood.

In 1962, Chamizal residents elected Feliciano Hinojosa as president of the Chamizal Civic Association. As president, Feliciano advocated for the rights of Chamizal residents like his parents. He also served as an official liaison between residents and the International Boundary and Water Commission. In 1964, Feliciano traveled to Washington D.C. to testify on behalf of residents in front of elected representatives.

“The main points were that there was no just legislation for the people here in El Paso in the Chamizal”

In 1994, Feliciano spoke about his experiences as President of the Chamizal Civic Association as part of an oral history project at the University of Texas at El Paso. In that interview, Feliciano recalled his testimony to representatives in Washington D.C. and emphasized the main points he made during that testimony—principally that gaps in federal law failed to meaningfully address the needs and interests of the Chamizal residents.

Listen to Feliciano yourself by clicking on the audio clip below: