Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says Trump's immigration rhetoric is 'directly responsible' for El Paso massacre

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said Monday that President Donald Trump's rhetoric on immigration is directly responsible for Saturday's mass killing at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas.

Ocasio-Cortez made the remarks during an evening vigil In Brooklyn for victims of the El Paso massacre, as well as those killed in Sunday's Dayton, Ohio, mass killing.

A gunman opened fire on El Paso Walmart shoppers on Saturday, killing at least 22 people and injuring dozens more. Another gunman opened fire on Dayton bargoers early Sunday morning, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more.

Trump has since condemned the violence, calling for unity and love.

What are the details?

According to the New York Daily News, Ocasio-Cortez placed the blame for the violence directly at the president's feet.

In her Monday night remarks, which were given at a vigil held at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, the freshman congresswoman brought up claims of Trump's white supremacy.

"There are so many different issues that are weaving themselves into a braid of violence into our country," she told the approximately 500 congregants at the vigil. "One of them is white supremacist terrorism."

"White supremacy is an international terrorist problem," she continued.

During her later remarks, Ocasio-Cortez insisted that the president's immigration rhetoric is responsible for the El Paso massacre.

"We need to address the immigration rhetoric in this country because it is directly responsible for what happened in El Paso," Ocasio-Cortez declared. "When we allude to people as an invasion, as an infestation, we are directly pulling from the language of white supremacy," she said, "so i don't want to hear the question 'Is this president racist?' anymore. He is."

What else?

The 29-year-old congresswoman included a word of advice to young men and women across the country who are getting "radicalized" toward white supremacy.

"I have to say to the young men — and increasingly some of the young women — in this country that are falling into the grips of white supremacy that find themselves getting radicalized in a funnel of vitriol towards Latinos, towards immigrants, towards African-Americans, towards black people, all Jewish people, all people of different faiths," she added, "what I have to say to you is 'Come back.'"