EL PASO, Texas – The ACLU of Texas released the following statement:
“Our staff in El Paso and across the state are heartbroken over this weekend’s attack, in which 20 lives were taken on what should have been a routine shopping day preparing for the first day of school.
“Our hearts and sympathies go out to those whose loved ones lost their lives or were injured in this tragedy, and we continue to stand in solidarity with the immigrant and Latinx communities who were the apparent targets of this hate-driven attack.
“El Paso is a beautiful city with centuries of cross-border and multicultural history. It is also a city recently forced to endure increased border militarization and where dehumanizing, anti-immigrant rhetoric from the federal government has created a culture of fear and violence against immigrants and Latinx people.
“This city and its people will not be defined by this cowardly and hateful act of violence against them. As we begin to heal from this tragedy – now not even the most recent mass shooting in our country – we must also all stand against efforts to dehumanize immigrants, Latinx people, and other marginalized groups.”
