Who is Rep. Veronica Escobar, the congresswoman who does not want Trump in El Paso?

WASHINGTON – Rep. Veronica Escobar, who represents El Paso, Texas — the location of a mass shooting that seemingly targeted Latinos — on Monday made waves after she said on national television that President Donald Trump was "not welcome" in the city.

Trump is visiting El Paso on Wednesday evening.

Authorities have linked the alleged shooter to a "manifesto" that had anti-immigrant and anti-Latino sentiments. The suspect drove from Allen, Texas to El Paso — more than 9 hours from the city located on the U.S.-Mexico border. Nearly 80% of El Paso's population is Hispanic. Twenty-two people have died from the shooting.

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Here is what you should know about the Texas congresswoman:

Her comments on Trump 

Escobar has doubled down on her statement, saying that she has also spoken to El Pasoans who do not want the president there. She wrote in a thread on Twitter posted Tuesday that she was invited to join Trump during his visit to El Paso, but that she declined.

She said she instead requested a phone call with the president to discuss his rhetoric towards Mexicans, immigrants and other minorities. Trump has repeatedly referred to Mexicans as "criminals" and "rapists," as well as calling Central American immigrants trying to seek asylum in the U.S. an "invasion."

Although Trump on Monday condemned "racism, bigotry and white supremacy" following the shootings, the president did not acknowledge is past statements.

Escobar said she wanted to tell Trump "he has a responsibility to acknowledge the power of his words, apologize for them, and take them back because they are still hanging over us."

However, Escobar said the White House told her Trump is "too busy."

"I declined the invitation because I refuse to be an accessory to his visit," she wrote in a tweet. "I refuse to join without a dialogue about the pain his racist and hateful words & actions have caused our community and country."

How long has she been in office?

Escobar, who represents the 16th congressional district in Texas, was elected last year during the 2018 midterms. She ran after Beto O'Rourke, who previously held that seat, decided to run for Senate against Ted Cruz.

The 16th congressional district serves El Paso and the surrounding areas.

What did she do before?

Before being elected to the House of Representatives, Escobar began her tenure as a public servant in the early 2000s.

She was the communications director for former El Paso Mayor Raymond Caballero, who was mayor between 2001 to 2003. After Caballero was not reelected, she went on to run for public office.

She was elected as county commissioner of El Paso County in 2006. Just four years later, she was elected as the county judge. She vacated that seat in August 2017 to run for the 16th congressional district.

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Targeted in border patrol private Facebook group

Escobar was one of several lawmakers that were criticized in a private Facebook group that over 9,000 current and former Border Patrol agents were part of.

In a post earlier this summer, members of the group discussed creating a GoFundMe fundraising account for whoever would throw burritos at Escobar and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., according to ProPublica. The two Latina congresswomen were part of a group of lawmakers that were going to tour migrant detention centers near El Paso.

Criticized conditions of migrants in detention centers

In July, Escobar was one of several congresswomen that testified on the conditions at a migrant detention center located in Clint, Texas, which is located outside El Paso. 

Escobar, Ocasio-Cortez and Reps. Ayanna Pressly, D-Mass., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., all spoke before the House Oversight Committee in July following their visit.

In her testimony, Escobar said border communities have witnessed the deaths of at least six children in government custody, ongoing issues of family separation, overcrowding in border detention facilities and "conditions that dehumanize migrants."

"We’ve seen severe overcrowding in Border Patrol processing centers that is so inhumane, that the DHS Office of the Inspector General described it as 'dangerous' because it represents 'an immediate risk' to agents and migrants alike," she said in testimony.

Contributing: Lauren Villagran, El Paso Times

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