El Paso Shooting Victims Didn’t Seek Medical Help Because They Feared Deportation

White nationalists are terrorizing our country and President Donald Trump isn’t doing a thing to stop it. These white male killers are targeting black and brown communities, and in the latest mass shooting to take place in the U.S., the El Paso shooter is also affecting the undocumented Latinx community.

On Saturday afternoon, a 21-year-old gunman drove nine hours from Dallas, Texas, to El Paso with the intention to kill Latinx shoppers at Walmart. The gunman killed at least 20 people and injured another 26. Many of them were U.S.-born Latinx, and some were also Mexican nationals. CNN reported that some victims in the El Paso shooting avoided seeking medical treatment because they feared they would be deported due to their undocumented status.

CNN reports that local officials in El Paso believe some mass shooting victims didn’t seek medical treatment because of their immigration status. America is in dire shape. pic.twitter.com/E68hiCN5H2

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 3, 2019

“It’s clear that there are people that are not unifying with their family and that there are people they’re worried are injured that did not go to hospitals likely because of their immigration status,” Juliette Kayyem, a former assistant secretary of the Homeland Security Department, said in an interview with CNN.

One organization stepped up to help these people. The Hope Border Institute, an El Paso-based organization, tweeted, “If you are afraid to contact the authorities regarding the shooting because of your immigration status, please contact Hope Border Institute, and we will help you.”

A toda nuestra gente inmigrante, si requieren ayuda en El Paso, por favor pónganse en contacto con @HopeBorder. No tengan miedo. Ellos les pueden ayudar. #ElPasoStrong https://t.co/a51wrINjJu

— Voto Latino (@votolatino) August 4, 2019

The Mexican government is also issuing legal action against the United States for failing to protect Mexican nationals and the Mexican-American community against domestic terrorism. Secretary of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard said in a press conference video, posted on Twitter, that the Mexican government would seek legal action, in accordance to international law, against the U.S. for their role into the murder of Mexican people.

“Mexico would like to express its utmost profound condemnation and rejection of this barbaric act where innocent Mexican men and women were killed,” Ebrard said in the video. “We are outraged. We do not support the culture of hate.”

⚡️JUST IN: Mexican Govt will file legal actions under ‘international law’ to demand protection of Mexican nationals & Mexican-American community in the US after El Paso’s shooting, per MX Foreign Minister https://t.co/4dHsnuKS21

— José Díaz Briseño (@diazbriseno) August 4, 2019

Hours after the El Paso shooting, another white gunman shot and killed people that were congregating on a lively street in Dayton, Ohio. A 24-year-old white male fatally shot nine people and injured 27 others. The majority of those killed were black people. The pattern here isn’t difficult to see. It’s what many have been screaming in outrage about for years. Yes, this issue primarily falls on lawmakers to reform access to guns to stop mass shootings. And, yes, Trump’s hateful rhetoric against minorities is fueling his racist and white nationalist base to cause harm to others.

Celebrities, including Rihanna, John Legend, and Cardi B, took to social media to express their anger at Trump for failing to end domestic terrorism.

“Um… Donald, you spelt ‘terrorism’ wrong!” Rihanna said on Instagram, in response to Trump’s tweet. “Your country had 2 terrorist attacks back to back, hours apart leaving almost 30 innocent people dead. This, just days after yet another terrorist attack in California, where a terrorist was able to LEGALLY purchase an assault rifle (AK-47) in Vegas, then drive hours to a food festival in Cali leaving 6 more people dead including a young infant baby boy! Imagine a world where it’s easier to get an AK-47 than a VISA! Imagine a world where they build a wall to keep terrorists IN AMERICA!!!”

The FBI also issued a statement saying that these latest acts of domestic terrorism against minorities may inspire others to do the same.