'Texas will play an enormous role': Bernie Sanders holds El Paso rally at Abraham Chavez Theatre

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at an El Paso campaign rally Saturday predicted that winning Texas in the Super Tuesday Democratic presidential primary would pave the road to win the Democratic presidential nomination and the White House.

"Texas will play an enormous role. If we win here in Texas, Trump is finished," Sanders, 78, told more than 2,500, mostly young, enthusiastic people jammed into a Downtown El Paso concert hall.

He came to El Paso hours before being declared the winner of Saturday's Nevada Democratic caucuses, and 10 days before Super Tuesday, March 3, when Texas and 13 other states hold their presidential voting primaries. Early voting in Texas runs through Feb. 28.

El Paso County Commissioner David Stout, El Paso City Rep. Alexsandra Annello, former El Paso state Rep. Marisa Marquez, and Jim Hightower, former Texas agriculture commissioner, gave short speeches in support of Sanders.

Hightower called the crowd "revolutionaries."

Sanders, en route to the Downtown rally, visited the memorial outside the El Paso Walmart store where 22 people were killed and dozens wounded in the Aug. 3 mass shooting.

He used that as a pivot point to champion his proposals for universal background checks on gun sales and banning the sale and distribution of assault weapons.

He noted that the gunman allegedly came to kill Latinos. He said he'd do everything he could as president to end hatred in the country.

 "We are all human beings with common dreams," he said.

Sanders spent most of his almost 40-minute speech at the Abraham Chavez Theatre rattling off his list of proposals, including his Medicare for all health-insurance system, college for all, including wiping out $1.6 trillion in student loan debts, a $15 per-hour federal minimum wage, and the so-called Green New Deal, in which he calls for going to a 100 percent renewable energy system in the United States. He also favors legalizing marijuana.

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It wasn't until toward the end of his speech that he talked about immigration -- an issue that dominated headlines in El Paso for most of last year.

"I am the son of an immigrant. like many of you my father" immigrated to the United States when he was 17 years old -- without money, not knowing English, and little education, he said.

"I know a little bit about the immigrant experience, and let me tell you on day one and henceforth were going to end the demonization of the undocumented immigrant," Sanders said, bringing loud cheers from the crowd.

"Through executive order, we will end all of the racist immigration orders promulgated by Trump," he said.

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He said he'd end President Donald Trump's border policies, "so no federal agent will ever snatch a baby from the arms of her mother. We are not going to be locking children up in cages, we are not going to be separating families, and we are going to end the ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids terrorizing communities. all across the country."

"And the truth is, that despite Trump's racism and demonization of the undocumented, the American people want and we will deliver comprehensive immigration reform and a path toward citizenship for all the 11 million undocumented."

Antonia Taylor, 21, a student at the University of Texas at El Paso, said she came to hear Sanders because he's a candidate "who represents the common person, and a lot of the others don't."

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She particularly likes his healthcare plan and his plan to raise the federal minimum wage, she said. But she won't decide who'll she'll vote for until Super Tuesday. And one thing she will consider is whether his socialist label is a problem, she said.

Sanders has called himself a democratic socialist.

Jonathan Cruz, 40, a middle school math teacher in El Paso, said he's a firm Sanders supporter. He embraces Sander's socialist label.

"We need some democratic socialism" because it has the priority of "looking out for each other" instead of focusing on individualism, Cruz said.

Bob Pena, executive director of the El Paso County Republican Party, stood outside the Abraham Chavez Theater with a handful of protesters. He said they were there to warn the young people about Sander's socialism, and how it will be bad for the economy.

"He says he is a socialist. They need to be conscious of it," Pena said. "Socialism turns into communism."

Vic Kolenc may be reached at 546-6421; vkolenc@elpasotimes.com; @vickolenc on Twitter.

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