El Paso, TX (KFOX14/CBS4) — Protesters gathered both outside and inside the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) to voice their opposition to White House Border Czar Tom Homan’s visit to the area.
Emil Esparza, one of the demonstrators, expressed his disapproval, saying, “I do not like the guy, I do not like the administration he comes from.”
He added that Homan’s visit to UTEP is “an extreme overreach and is frankly very insulting.”
KFOX
The protests, which began in the afternoon outside UTEP and continued into the evening at Leech Grove on the UTEP campus, were fueled by concerns over Homan’s policies and their impact on immigrant communities.
Irma Camacho from El Chuco Habla stated, “He is the one who has authorized the type of tactics we see not only here in El Paso but also across the nation.”
Albert Malvaez voiced his belief that Homan is associated with organizations that “send masked criminals out to grab people off the street and whisk them away.”
Protesters, activists, and students alike deemed Homan’s visit “unacceptable.” Oscar Lozano described it as “a slap in the face of this community.”
The protests followed a similar gathering on UTEP’s campus the previous night.
Demonstrators emphasized their solidarity with those too afraid to protest, with Camacho noting, “We are also a predominantly Mexican American community. And to threaten us, all of us are subject to this kind of treatment.”
Despite the strong emotions, the rallies remained peaceful.
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