El Paso, Texas • President Donald Trump has often railed about an “invasion of illegals” at the southern border, words echoed in a screed the El Paso shooting suspect apparently posted that called the attack that killed 22 people at a Walmart his response to an “Hispanic invasion of Texas.”
Some extremism experts believe that may not be an accident. They say historical data suggests a link between heated rhetoric from top political leaders and ensuing reports of hate crimes, only adding to the fears of those who could be targeted.
"We can't say that Trump is at fault because these mass killings have existed for a long time," said Carlos Tarin, a Mexican immigrant who has lived in El Paso for three decades, but the recent rancor over immigration "has woken up that feeling that had been sleeping.