安德鲁·托雷斯在周六埃尔帕索集体枪击事件中有两名家庭成员丧生,告诉美国有线电视新闻网特朗普总统周三在德克萨斯州边境城市的“现身”令幸存者和社区其他人感到恐惧。
“我社区的很多人觉得他是问题的一部分,”托雷斯周四告诉网络,他在袭击中失去了表妹和丈夫。“许多受害者...现在不想见他。他们不想听到他的哀悼,他补充说,这是国家需要“抓住”的东西。
“我们并不是不喜欢他的来访,”托雷斯继续说道。“只是他的存在,太可怕了。好像整个国家都在经历焦虑。”
“我们并不是不喜欢他的来访。仅仅是他的出现,就令人恐惧。安德鲁·托雷斯说,似乎整个国家都在经历焦虑,他在总统大选后的埃尔帕索枪击事件中失去了两名家庭成员。特朗普的到访。https://t.co/WdMtfX4voopic.twitter.com/FMW5IQSetb
—有线电视新闻室(@有线电视新闻室)2019年8月8日
特朗普在2010年后面临巨大的反弹埃尔帕索枪击案导致22人死亡,20多人受伤。21岁的帕特里克·克鲁修斯(Patrick Crusius)在一份声明中提到了与总统经常使用的语言相似的语言,指的是“西班牙人入侵德克萨斯州”该文件还呼吁杀死拉丁美洲移民。
检察官表示,他们正在考虑联邦政府对克鲁修斯的仇恨犯罪指控,因为他们认为,从证据来看,这次袭击是出于种族动机。
总统已经重复描述拉丁美洲移民在南部边境的涌入是一种“入侵”他还广泛宣称移民是“罪犯”,并将墨西哥人描述为“强奸犯”在五月的集会上,特朗普笑了在一名支持者大声喊着越过边境的移民应该被枪杀后,他开了一个玩笑。
托雷斯说,许多受害者以及社区中的其他人都不希望总统在周末袭击后访问埃尔帕索。
根据华盛顿邮报八名受伤仍在接受治疗的受害者中,没有一人同意会见特朗普。
幸存者正在接受治疗的大学医疗中心的一名发言人告诉记者,这些病人正在经历“生命中非常敏感的时期”张贴。“他们中的一些人说他们不想见总统。他们中的一些人不想有任何访客。”
在周一对全国发表的讲话中,特朗普遭到谴责白人至上和各种形式的仇恨。但是批评家认为他没有走得足够远来改变他分裂的语言。
2020年总统候选人伯尼·桑德斯周三在推特上写道:“我们有一个公开的种族主义和仇外心理的[总统。”。“他应该远离埃尔帕索。他现在应该做的是结束他的反移民言论。”
然而,本周特朗普竞选团队加倍努力,在描述南部边境局势的广告中使用“入侵”一词。
“在任何特定的时刻,都有100,000名移民通过墨西哥试图违反我们的移民法,”总统竞选宣传主任蒂姆·穆尔陶格说。“民主党人和媒体反对对形势的准确描述,试图使反对非法移民而不被称为种族主义者成为不可能。”
DONALD TRUMP'S 'VERY PRESENCE, IT'S FRIGHTENING,' SAYS EL PASO VICTIMS' FAMILY MEMBER
Andrew Torres, who had two family members killed in the El Paso mass shooting on Saturday, told CNN that the "very presence" of President Trump in the Texas border city Wednesday was frightening to survivors and others in the community.
"A lot of people in my community feel as though he is a part of the problem," Torres, who lost both his cousin and her husband in the attack, told the network Thursday. "Many of the victims ... didn't want to see him right now. They didn't want to hear his condolences," he added, saying this was something the nation needed to "grasp."
"It's not that we don't appreciate his visit," Torres continued. "Just his very presence, it's frightening. It's as though this whole country is suffering through anxiety."
“It's not that we don't appreciate his visit. … Just his very presence, it's frightening. It's as though this whole country is suffering through anxiety,†says Andrew Torres, who lost two family members in the El Paso shooting, after Pres. Trump’s visit. https://t.co/WdMtfX4voopic.twitter.com/FMW5IQSetb
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) August 8, 2019
Trump has faced significant backlash in the wake of the El Paso shooting, which left 22 dead and more than two dozen wounded. A manifesto linked to the alleged shooter, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, included language similar to that often used by the president, referring to a "Hispanic invasion of Texas." The document also called for Latin American immigrants to be killed.
Prosecutors have said they are considering federal hate crime charges against Crusius, as they believe from the evidence that the attack was racially motivated.
The president has repeatedly described the influx of Latin American immigration at the southern border as an "invasion." He has also broadly claimed that migrants are "criminals" and described Mexicans as "rapists." During a May rally, Trump laughed and made a joke after a supporter yelled out that immigrants crossing the border should be shot.
Torres says many victims, as well as others in the community, did not want the president to visit El Paso in the wake of the weekend attack.
According to The Washington Post, none of the eight victims still being treated for their injuries agreed to meet with Trump.