The Border Network for Human Rights announced that more than 17,000 residents of El Paso, Southern New Mexico, Northern Chihuahua, and others from around the country have signed a letter asking President Trump not to visit El Paso "until he atones for his role in spreading xenophobic hatred of immigrants and promoting violent white supremacy." Here is a statement from the Border Network for Human Rights:
The petition also called on the President to rescind policies that dehumanize and victimize asylum seekers, enact meaningful gun control, and seek forgiveness from this community before visiting. A copy of the letter follows this statement.
“We posted the letter yesterday at around 4:30 pm and in 19 hours we had collected 17,000 responses from members of this community. We’re floored by the response,” said BNHR Policy Director Robert Heyman. “People in El Paso, in this region, and across this country know who has been fueling this hatred and violence that took the lives of 22 of our neighbors on Saturday. It comes from a racist in the Oval Office,” said BNHR Executive Director Fernando Garcia. Garcia continued, “President Trump needs to take a long hard look at himself and he needs to change. He needs to stop criminalizing and dehumanizing immigrants. He needs to stop locking families in cages and laughing when his supporters talk about shooting them. He needs to act to ensure we have commonsense gun controls like a ban on assault weapons or universal background checks. And he needs to seek this community’s forgiveness for the pain and devastation he has caused. Until then, the people of El Paso and the Borderland are saying loudly and clearly that ‘Trump is not welcome here!’”
Organizations and members of the public can find the letter and sign on here: https://forms.gle/1HLHLwhvsbJ6LqdL6