Sep 25, 2019
On August 3, a 21 year old man shot and killed 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. After his arrest, he reportedly told investigators that his goal was “to kill as many Mexicans as possible” unquote. There is also evidence, from social media and elsewhere, that the shooter was motivated by hatred of immigration, especially by Mexicans. What does this shooting tell us about the current national debate over immigration? What role has divisive rhetoric – from the President on down – played in encouraging violence? And how does another issue – gun control – factor into our debate about the tragedy in El Paso?
Our guest for this episode is Dr. Tony Payan, the Francoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies and Director of the Center for the United States and Mexico here at the Baker Institute. He is one of our country’s leading experts on the Mexico-US relationship. He was also, for many years, a resident of El Paso.