Today across the country, millions of hearts beat with El Paso. As communities of immigrants and refugees, our hearts beat with El Paso: A community that straddles borders and cultures, a symbol of safety and inclusion for people from around the world, citizens and non-citizens alike.  

That is El Paso’s strength. Nothing will change that. Today, we must reaffirm our commitment to that strength. And we must redouble our commitment to defeat the vile worldview of white supremacy. 

Today, it is a moral imperative that decent people, and all Latinos, speak out.  

Vigils: This Wednesday, communities across the country plan to hold vigils to remember and celebrate the lives lost, and recommit to confronting the contemptible worldview behind the violence committed. Whether you work with an organization, church, business, or just want to express your individual support with family and neighbors, now is the time to speak out. Sign up to host or attend a vigil.

From Pasadena to Parkland, Phoenix to Philadelphia, thousands of hearts beat with El Paso. But it has to be said. What happened here was foreseeable and deliberate. Two tendencies have intersected that invariably will lead to this despicable violence. The uncontrolled access to weapons of war that has enabled mass atrocities in cities over and over again, has converged with the white supremacist political agenda that we see at every Trump rally, that we hear in every Trump speech.  

Sadly, too many local, state, and federal elected officials have remained silent, and worse, have served as conduit to this worldview.

 The hate-filled speeches that incite violence, the criminalizing of entire families and communities, and the scandalous collusion of elected officials with hate groups – enough is enough.

We know that those who profit from weapons sales, who despise gun control, are often the same profiteers that make millions from arresting immigrants and putting children and families in migrant concentration camps. They profit from the politics of hate and fear. Their objective is fear. They want white people to fear immigrants. For immigrants to fear government.  

We must be clear, we do not hate them, and we are also not afraid of them. We know that our courage will always be greater than fear. 
It’s time that we join our voices to confront the sickening worldview that shows contempt for our lives, and profits from our suffering. This is the resistance of our communities, across this country, against white supremacy, against unfettered access to weapons of war, against the Trump hate agenda, against a worldview that sows misery and contempt for human life. This is a fight for safety, true freedom, and justice for every life that has been lost at the hands of hate in America.

What’s been polluted by hatred and racist violence, will be cleansed by joining our voices, our hearts, and our voices. Because our collective voices - of compassion and solidarity - when joined together is universal and crosses borders, to alleviate the pain, to confront injustice, to fortify our resistance.  



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#ElPasoFirme is anchored by Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR), Refugee And Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance, Repairers of the Breach, Poor People’s Campaign, MoveOn, Voto Latino and is endorsed by a broad array of faith, immigrant, civil rights, and grassroots organizations.