Mexico Threatens Legal Action Against United States After El Paso Massacre
Mexico’s foreign minister said Sunday that his nation is looking at legal action against the United States after Saturday’s shooting in El Paso, Texas, that left 20 people dead, including six Mexican citizens.
Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard called Saturday’s shooting an “act of barbarism.”
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry called the attack in El Paso a “terrorist act against innocent Mexicans,” NBC reported. Nine of the 26 people injured were Mexican citizens.
“The president has instructed me to ensure that Mexico’s indignation translates into … efficient, prompt, expeditious and forceful legal actions for Mexico to take a role and demand that conditions are established that protect … Mexicans in the United States,” Ebrard said in a Spanish-language Twitter video.
Mexico could seek to extradite accused gunman Patrick Crusius, 21, of Allen, Texas, Ebrard said, according to The New York Times.
“For Mexico, this individual is a terrorist,” he said, Politico reported.
For some on Twitter, Mexico’s objections rang hollow.
Mexico exploring legal action against the US following El Paso shooting https://t.co/kRUjCYpLmt pic.twitter.com/A1F60QIWGs
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 5, 2019
JUST IN: Mexico threatens to take legal action against the US for failing to protect its citizens in the wake of Saturday’s mass shooting in El Paso – NBC
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 4, 2019
The grandstanding by politicians doesn’t stop at the border. https://t.co/h8fUx5hlMl
— Cam Edwards (@CamEdwards) August 4, 2019
Ebrard said Mexico will participate in the investigation into the shooting and focus upon how Crusius got the gun used in the shooting.
“We are going to ask for access to see how this weapon was sold and how it came to their hands. And to know if the authorities knew about the potential of this individual,” Ebrard said.
Mexico also plans to make this issue bigger than one shooting, he said.
Meetings are planned in Texas, California, Chicago, New York and Atlanta to expand protections for Mexican citizens in the U.S., he said.
“We are also calling for a meeting of Spanish-speaking countries with communities in the United States,” Ebrard said. He said the meeting would be designed to protect “the culture and rights” of Spanish-speaking nations’ citizens in America.
Mexico is also planning to ask the U.S. to take a position against hate crimes, he said.
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