Congresswoman Escobar meets with students to discuss Capitol riot

Representative shares her experience of Jan. 6

Veronica Escobar, U.S. Congresswoman from Texas, visits with students in an EPCC webinar about her experience at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Photo by Paola Duran

Veronica Escobar, U.S. Congresswoman from Texas, visits with students in an EPCC webinar about her experience at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

From the tragic events that happened on Jan. 6, to President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20, our democracy has faced a series of harrowing events in a matter of weeks. Due to the panic and confusion that many students in El Paso are currently feeling, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar made an appearance at a webinar held by EPCC student, Rocio Fierro Perez on Jan. 21 to discuss the state of our nation and its future. 

In this webinar, Congresswoman Escobar answered questions about her personal experience at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Escobar believed that the riot started due to the “Big Lie,” which is based on former president Donald Trump’s accusations that the election was rigged. 

“What happened on Jan. 6, was a terrorist attack. It was a domestic terrorist attack and I’ve been saying ‘it was an attack, not just against the Capitol, it was an attack against our country.’ That day we were supposed to do what is done every four years,” Escobar said. “There were probably about 40 of us [in the gallery] and it was a pretty terrifying moment. I started getting alerts on my phone about what was happening and we knew that there was a big rally. I had watched some of it and I had seen the ‘Big Lie’  being repeated over and over again and I knew there were people in that crowd who were armed. I was worried that there would be people in that crowd who would try to hurt us.”

The lack of law enforcement during this attack turned the situation from a mere protest to a dangerous riot, which put Congresswoman Escobar and her colleagues in immediate danger. 

“They said ‘use the tunnels’ so I followed directions and I used the tunnels. My assumption was there was going to be a robust presence outside of the Capitol because we knew there would be thousands of people potentially being riled up about the Big Lie,” Escobar said. “It was when I saw that they were actually in the building, when I saw live accounts, and then I heard banging on the door and it was so loud I knew it must be a lot of people. Then Capitol police took the microphone and told us that we all needed to get down and take cover and then shortly after that they told us to get gas masks, which were under our seats, and to put them on because the terrorists, which is what they are, had basically overcome law enforcement. They had taken over one of the rooms adjacent to where we were.”

Due to the rally, Congresswoman Escobar, along with other members of congress, had to evacuate the building. Escobar hopes that those that strategically caused this event should be punished for the panic and tragedy they caused. 

“Capitol police was like, ‘get to the other side of the gallery,’ so we were kind of hunching down trying to stay down but also trying to walk and you know maneuver and make our way to the other side. Ultimately I was one of the last to make it out after someone had been shot and killed and guns had been pointed back and forth between the terrorists and law enforcement. We were finally evacuated,” Escobar said. “There is an investigation that is ongoing. I do believe there needs to be a commission that really, truly investigates everything to the root of it. This was a well-funded, well-orchestrated, well-planned attack on our country and we need to hold people accountable.”

Congresswoman Escobar felt that despite the traumatic experience, it was also a unifying one. 

“Our democracy is really fragile,” Escobar said. “Our constitution is just a piece of paper unless we infuse it with our values and our belief in it. Our Republic is special and something to be protected. We’re an imperfect union, but we continue to strive to become a more perfect union.” 

Pullquote Photo

Our democracy is really fragile. Our constitution is just a piece of paper unless we infuse it with our values and our belief in it. Our Republic is special and something to be protected. We’re an imperfect union, but we continue to strive to become a more perfect union.

— Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, D-TX