Tomorrow: Protest against National Guard deployment
Border Network for Human Rights
2115 N. Piedras, El Paso, Texas 79930
(915) 577-0724; F: (915) 577-0370
Contact: Louie Gilot, Policy Director, Border Network for Human Rights, (915) 274-0541, lgilot@bnhr.org
July 29, 2010
**Protest TOMORROW: National Guard deployed at the border**
EL PASOANS PROTEST NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT
Protesters to give letter to U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes
El Paso, TX –The Border Network for Human Rights, a 12-year-old community organizing group with about 4,000 members in El Paso and Southern New Mexico, has taken a stand against the deployment of the National Guard on the U.S.-Mexico border which starts on August 1, 2010.
The militarization of the border is not without consequences for the communities who live here. Community safety is being sacrificed by those who believe that soldiers trained for war belong near family neighborhoods or should be involved in enforcing civilian laws. We cannot forget that in 1997, U.S. Marines sent to secure the border, shot and killed a teenage U.S. citizen who was peacefully herding goats.
It is time to rethink our border policy. Increasing the quantity of armed agents and soldiers on our southern border does not enhance our national security, but in fact undermines it by misallocating resources.   Humane border policies would focus quality law enforcement resources on real threats in the region, while protecting the rights and well-being of border residents.
Friday, El Paso community members will gather Downtown for a protest and to deliver a letter to U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes to urge him to take the lead in opposing the further militarization of the border. The media are invited to join us.
Protest
When: 11 a.m. Friday, July 30, 2010
Where: Sidewalk in front of the Cortez Building
310 N. Mesa in Downtown El Paso
(Offices of U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes)
###
More information on the Border Network for Human Rights: This organization, founded in 1998, is one of the leading immigration reform and human rights advocacy organization in the United States. Based in El Paso, the BNHR counts about 4,000 members in El Paso and Southern New Mexico.
