EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 The White House Border Czar, Tom Homan, will be holding a conference at UTEP next month.<\/p>\n
Homan will speak and take questions at the Undergraduate Learning Center at room 106, UTEP, on Dec. 4 at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n
The event is hosted by Turning Point USA. <\/p>\n
El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar reacted to the announcement, releasing a statement calling out the university for hosting Homan.<\/p>\n
UTEP\u2019s 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\u2019s cruel, hardline mass deportation tactics. Despite promises to go after the \u2018worst of the worst,\u2019 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\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n
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 \u2018political’ event.<\/p>\n
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.\u201d<\/p>\n