Texas Democrat Julián Castro to speak at counter-rally against President Donald Trump in Rio Grande Valley

Organizers say president’s visit is a ‘publicity stunt’

As President Donald Trump heads to the South Texas border to tout the construction of a border wall, Texas Democrat Julián Castro will also speak at a counter-rally on Tuesday afternoon in the Rio Grande Valley.

Castro and civil and human rights organizations said they will hold the counter-rally to condemn the president following the deadly siege of the U.S. Capitol last week, and to condemn “white supremacists who have no sense of what is right, what is moral, or what is the right side of history.”

Organizers said community members have seen the president’s “dangerous and destructive” immigration agenda first hand, and his visit is a “publicity stunt.”

“Local public officials failed to have a unified strong message against Trump’s visit,” organizers said. “This failure of leadership will now result in white supremacists freely rallying in our streets.”

The rally is slated to begin at noon at La Unión del Pueblo Entero Office in San Juan, just miles from where Trump is expected to visit in the City of Alamo.

Trump will celebrate one of the pillars of his presidency — his campaign against illegal immigration — amid the backdrop of a second possible impeachment.

He is scheduled to land at the Valley International Airport in Harlingen early Tuesday afternoon, and then make the roughly one-hour drive to the town of Alamo for an appearance. Details have not been publicized.

(Click here to see coverage on-air and online from his trip, including livestreams.)

This will be Trump’s first public outing since his speech to supporters outside the White House on Wednesday, when he urged them to march to Capitol Hill.

Five people died, including a police officer, during the deadly insurrection to attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump faces a charge of “incitement of insurrection” in an impeachment resolution that the House will begin debating Wednesday.

Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, is among the Democrats who have called for Trump’s removal.

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About the Author:

Rebecca Salinas is an award-winning digital journalist who joined KSAT in 2019. She reports on a variety of topics for KSAT 12 News.