During the morning press conference given by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard reported on the condition of the victims of this weekend's attack in El Paso, Texas, and discussed the steps now being taken by the Mexican government.
The foreign secretary confirmed the deaths of eight people, four women and four men, five from Chihuahua and the other three from Aguascalientes, Torreón and Zacatecas. The bodies were released by U.S. authorities yesterday and funeral arrangements are being made.
As of today, the medical report shows six people injured, three in intensive care or in serious condition, and three listed as stable.
During his visit to El Paso yesterday, Secretary Ebrard talked with the families of five of the deceased, conveying to them the sympathy and solidarity of all of Mexico.
He said that this was, without a doubt, "one of the greatest tragedies that Mexicans in the United States have ever experienced." It was an attack against a binational community, as the mayor of El Paso said yesterday.
The foreign secretary reiterated the Mexican government's complete condemnation of the attack. The Office of the Attorney General of Mexico (FGR) will today be given all of the information available so far, which will be added to the file that was opened when the attack became known.
Secretary Ebrard expressed concern that there might be other individuals who share the same thoughts as the perpetrator of this weekend's attack. “We want—and this is essential—we want the Foreign Ministry to participate in and assist with the FGR investigation in order to discover if any other people are linked to this individual and if he did, in fact, write the manifesto that was made public.”
Foreign Secretary Ebrard said that the Government of Mexico fully endorses the statement made by the U.S. president condemning racism and calling white supremacy a risk.
Lastly, he said that Mexico had contacted the countries that "have communities in the United States, so that we can come together behind a common policy of defense and protection."
“We have to defend the Mexican civilization, our values, our contribution, but we also have to defend the language and the culture. That will be the purpose of the meeting or the joint actions taken over the coming months, which will be taken in accordance to the law, as we have no intention of intervening in the domestic life of the United States,” said Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard in conclusion.