AUSTIN, Texas -- Today, Party Business Advisor of Texas Democrats, Marco Orrantia, released the following statement on the El Paso shooter being sentenced to 90 consecutive life terms for his heinous 2019 crime of murdering 23 people and injuring 22 more at a Wal-Mart in a hate-motivated attack:

“Today, our community was finally able to receive a small semblance of justice — though we will never be whole, because this racist monster took away 23 of our loved ones and devastated countless families with permanent emotional trauma.

“I was home in El Paso with leaders of the El Paso County Democratic Party on August 3, 2019. It was the date of the worst domestic terror massacre of Latinos in recent American history.

“I served two tours in Baghdad where I had a rifle and sidearm. So, the thought haunts me that one person drove ten hours across our state with a weapon of war, who said he ‘wanted to shoot as many Mexicans as possible,’ in an attempt to exterminate ‘invaders.’ But they are not ‘invaders’ — they are members of the community that I was born and raised in. 

“Texas and national Republicans use words like ‘invaders’ to describe Latino migrants — and it makes my stomach churn because their rhetoric feeds fascist, white nationalist groups and individuals to spread their terror and hate to people of color across our state and nation.

“Ron DeSantis was at the border just a few days ago, standing in front of a sign that said ‘Stop the Invasion.’ It’s heartbreaking that there seems to be no amount of bloodshed that will be enough for these Republican politicians to stop using this violent rhetoric just so they can score a few political points with the most extreme fringes of the far-right base. 

“While we’ll never be able to hold and hug the ones we lost four years ago, the least we can do is honor their memory — by working to root out the vile racism and hatred that led to their slaughter.”

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