Community reacts to El Paso mass shooting

DELMARVA – “It’s a horrible tragedy,” said Ted Murphy, an immigration attorney in Georgetown.

“It’s affected the whole community, not just in El Paso, but across the United States,” said Murphy.

Following the tragic shooting in El Paso authorities are investigating the tragedy as a hate crime against Latinos.

Local immigration attorneys say undocumented immigrants are facing a devastating low.

“They’re afraid to report crimes, they’re afraid to testify in court, so it makes the Hispanic community an easy target for people who don’t want them here,” said Murphy.

Immigrants directly affected by the shooting were reportedly afraid to seek help from police because of their legal status.

Attorneys like Steven Planzer says it is a huge problem everywhere and that they should not be afraid.

“You do have the ability to seek advice and get the best help you can, so that you’re not afraid to come out, not afraid to live your lives,” said Steven Planzer, an immigration attorney in Salisbury.

Timothy Dunn, a professor at Salisbury University, worked closely with immigrants in El Paso. He says the community depends heavily on people crossing the border.

“Even though there are Walmarts in Mexico, the prices and deals are sometimes better on the U.S. side, and so many people come to shop quite often and these stores thrive on that,” said Dunn.

Moving forward Dunn says despite the hostility the Latino community will grow stronger.

“They care about their family, they care about their neighbors, they care about their community,” said Murphy, “I think this makes their bonds stronger and when those bonds are stronger, it makes the community safer.”

And, community leaders across the country will speak up.

“Local politicians, community groups, business leaders and other professionals will step forward to speak up for to denounce this and to speak up for the community,” said Dunn.

People in the community say they hope legislators will come up with new solutions that will help to eliminate things like racial hatred in the future.

Immigration attorneys say it is critical for immigrants in the community to feel comfortable to ask for help from authorities, and some believe building bridges will help avoid more of these tragedies in the future.