As the nation grapples with the events at the Capitol, La Union del Pueblo Entero called for the removal of a U.S. senator and the president.
Wednesday afternoon, several people rushed the Capitol building grounds where elected officials were preparing to certify the outcome of the presidential election.
As a result, one woman was shot and killed by law enforcement personnel, and many others were arrested for trespassing. The certification was delayed by several hours but ultimately was completed officially during Thursday’s early morning hours.
“In response to the alarming attack on the electoral process in DC Wednesday, La Unión del Pueblo Entero is calling for immediate action from Congress to protect Democracy and ensure racial justice for border communities, including removing (President) Trump and (Texas Sen. Ted) Cruz,” the organization said in a news release Thursday.
Juanita Valdez-Cox, executive director of LUPE, said, the people should choose its leaders, not unruly mobs.
“The people decided. We choose our leaders — leaders do not choose their voters. The racist mob in DC is seeking to invalidate our votes and attacking the communities, including those along the border, who voted for the freedom to thrive and live without fear,” Valdez-Cox said in the release.
Valdez-Cox, a longtime member of LUPE, said the type of hate conveyed at the capitol Wednesday, is indicative of what LUPE and its advocates have faced for years in its attempt to fight for their communities along the border.
“This white supremacist hate has long been deployed in the borderlands, pointing the finger at Black and brown immigrants while DC elites militarize the border and rig the economy in favor of wealthy corporations,” she said.
Valdez-Cox urged Congress to immediately remove Trump and Sen. Cruz for their roles fomenting the attack on Wednesday.
“We will defeat this right-wing violence with a bold, people-focused agenda that recognizes the humanity of the diverse communities that make up this nation,” she said.
She called on the president-elect and Congress to advance an agenda that protects Black lives, raises wages, protects family unity, houses the unhoused, cares for the sick, and closes “cages.”
“Elected officials must turn to communities of color and communities along the border for policy solutions that will strengthen our democracy, not weaken it,” Valdez-Cox said in the release.
