EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Activist groups mounted a protest on Wednesday afternoon ahead of the Border Czar’s visit to El Paso.
The Border Network for Human Rights, Juventud con Dignidad, Indivisible the 915, Movimiento ChucanX, and Las Americas gathered at the University of Texas at El Paso and shared their message opposing border militarization in response to Tom Homan’s visit to UTEP on Thursday.
The groups shared testimony on what they say are the dangers of mass deportations and ongoing constitutional and human rights violations done by the current administration’s crackdown on immigration.
The protest started at 4:30 p.m. at UTEP’s Leech Grove.
RELATED: White House border czar Tom Homan to hold conference at UTEP on Dec. 4
Homan will speak on Thursday at the Undergraduate Learning Center at room 106, at 7 p.m.
The event is hosted by UTEP’s student chapter of Turning Point USA.
Following the announcement of Homan’s visit, El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar released a statement condemning the university.
Escobar wrote,
UTEP’s embrace of right-wing politics in the last few years has been alarming and is unreflective of El Paso. As a loving, welcoming community, the invitation of Tom Homan is contrary to the values most El Pasoans hold dear.Homan has been one of the chief architects of the Trump administration’s cruel, hardline mass deportation tactics. Despite promises to go after the ‘worst of the worst,’ their efforts have done little but terrorize families, including mixed-status families, households with immigrants who have been in the country for decades, parents of U.S. citizens, and U.S. citizens themselves. And all of it has come with a significant emotional and financial cost to Americans.While I believe in productive debate and genuine conversation, I’m disappointed and ashamed that the leadership at UTEP is amplifying someone who is actively engaged in demonizing many of those who attend UTEP like DREAMERs, individuals in mixed-status families and first generation Americans, all of whom have long considered UTEP to be a safe place. Attendees should expect a white-washed, ugly rewriting of recent history.
Escobar also said that UTEP’s invitations of figures like former Vice President Mike Pence and Homan have “conspicuously” occurred after UTEP leadership reportedly pushed back on hosting an event with Escobar and the Biden administration to celebrate the institution’s National Science Foundation grant award in 2024, claiming it would be a “political” event.
In a statement emailed to KFOX14/CBS4, UTEP said, “There are over 360 registered student organizations at UTEP. Registered student organizations are able to host speakers and other events on campus. The student chapter of Turning Point USA at UTEP will be hosting an event on campus in accordance with UTEP policies and procedures.”
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