Crime Victims’ Rights Week: A Reminder Justice for Immigrant Communities is Ever Growing
El Paso, Texas – As National Crime Victims’ Rights Week ends, Gloria Amesquita, Legal Assistant at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, shared the following statement:
“At Las Americas, we are committed to ensuring every immigrant neighbor and newcomer in our communities has the resources they need to live and thrive. On August 3, 2019, a man drove hundreds of miles with the specific intent of murdering Mexicans. He killed 23 people and injured 22 more at a Walmart in central El Paso. His racist manifesto depicted the assault as a "response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas." Las Americas has submitted 50 U-visa applications for the survivors and deceased family members of the attack. Sadly, only one has been processed and waitlisted. Our clients need to pay bills, secure therapy, and support their families today, not in 5 years.
“If we look outside our region, we see people fleeing conflict and violence, children traveling without a family like what we saw this weekend in the Rio Grande. Undocumented migrants are highly vulnerable to human trafficking, modern slavery, and forced labor. Similarly, anti-immigrant and Hispanic hate crimes have hit record highs in recent years.
“Now more than ever, the federal government must intervene to guarantee the protection of survivors of crime and trafficking. We strongly urge the federal government to take necessary measures to ensure that survivors of hate crimes such as the Walmart shooting are allowed to seek refuge in our country. This includes Congress eliminating the statutory cap on U visas and taking further steps to provide applicants with deferred action and work permits. Additionally, members of Congress and elected officials need to refrain from endorsing the same harmful rhetoric as the mass shooter. This includes rejecting Governor Greg Abbott's campaign against immigrant communities grounded in fraud and deception.
“We will not back down until we uphold our shared values of treating people with dignity and compassion, regardless of their skin color or immigration status.”
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