NBCNews.com

At a ceremony to usher in a record number of Latino Democrats in Congress, lawmakers exuded more outrage than delight as they recognized their legislative ambitions are contending for now with a standoff over a border wall with Mexico that has partially shut down the government. According to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), there are thirty-three Latino Democrats in the current Congress and five Republicans who have their own caucus known as the Congressional Hispanic Conference. Speaking to a packed crowd, newly elected CHC Chair Rep. Joaquín Castro, D-Texas said that the highest number of Hispanics in Congress represents a greater focus on the community at large and a greater opportunity to counter negative perceptions about Latinos, which some decry as a reason for the elevated attention of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The shutdown has dampened new legislators' hopes of hitting the ground running.