Belen Robles and Bill Clinton in 1997

President Bill Clinton met with LULAC President Belen Robles at the 1997 LULAC National Convention to discuss immigration, unemployment, education, and the status of Puerto Rico. Belen B. Robles is a member of the El Paso Community College Board of Trustees. She made history when she was elected as the first woman national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. She celebrated her 50th year in LULAC and is an active member of the LULAC National Board. Also, Mrs. Robles continues to serve on numerous local and national positions and plays an active role in the corridors of power to ensure that the culture, history and economic conditions of El Paso are not overlooked. Mrs. Robles is President and CEO of Belen Robles & Associates, a public/private consulting firm that offers services on Hispanic issues, public relations, image-enhancement, marketing & diversity training. She has extensive experience given her 41 years of work in the Immigration and Naturalization Service and U.S. Customs in New Mexico, West Texas and Colorado. She was responsible for a $45-million budget, the procurement of contracts, equipment and personnel administration. Her role spans various management positions including Chief Inspector for Cargo Operations, Chief Inspector for Enforcement, Assistant Deputy District Director for inspection and Control, Chief Inspector Bridge of the Americas and El Paso International Airport, and Foreign Trade Supervisor. Robles was the fifth child of a family of 10 children born to immigrants who had come to the United States from Mexico in the early 20th century, her father from the state of Chihuahua, her mother from Zacatecas. Attending parochial school at St. Mary’s, she began high school at St. Joseph’s but graduated from Bowie High School in 1955. Three months her graduation, she married Ramiro Robles. While trying to find a job to support the young family, she realized that women were second class citizens, but so were Latinos. In 1957, Robles joined the League of United Latin American Citizens or LULAC, the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization in the United States. With LULAC, Robles in particular fought for desegregation and education for immigrants. She received numerous awards and was inducted to the El Paso Women Hall of Fame. Sources: http://epcc.libguides.com/content.php?pid=309255&sid=2891598 http://www.epcc.edu/BoardofTrustees/Pages/BelenRobles.aspx

Area: Out of Area / Out of Area

Source: C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, University of Texas at El Paso Library. Collection Name: PH060 Belen Robles. Photo ID: Robles15.

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History