Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke is heading to Mexico on Sunday to meet with immigrants seeking U.S. asylum but “turned away” at the border.

In the former congressman’s first international trip as a White House hopeful, his campaign says O’Rourke will visit Ciudad Juarez, across the Rio Grande from his native El Paso, Texas, to meet with what it calls “individuals and families directly impacted by Donald Trump’s cruel and inhumane policies.”

O’Rourke hopes to “shed light on the desperate circumstances those who are seeking asylum and refuge are fleeing, and the conditions these families and individuals are forced to endure when they’ve been turned away from our borders.” That includes meeting with people and organizations providing immigrants care and assistance in Mexico.
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“In all of the debate around immigration, we can’t forget who it impacts most: the people traveling thousands of miles, fleeing the worst kind of violence and oppression,” O’Rourke said in a statement Saturday. “Turning away refugees, families and asylum seekers is not who we are as a country. But as long as Donald Trump is president — it will be.”

O’Rourke is also planning a rally Sunday outside the U.S. Border Patrol facility in nearby Clint, Texas, where immigrant children have reported being denied access to such basic amenities as showers, soap and toothbrushes. He previously visited centers holding immigrant children in Houston, and was one of many Democratic presidential candidates who traveled to one in Homestead, Florida, near the site of last week’s primary debates in Miami.

Democratic 2020 Presidential Primary Candidate Beto O’Rourke will speak at this year’s OZY Fest.

The Democratic candidate and former Congressman will speak at New York City’s Great Lawn of Manhattan’s Central Park at the fourth annual OZY Fest on Sunday, July 21st. O’Rourke will be joining Stacey Abrams and John Kasich as the festival’s political headliners

O’Rourke became one of the youngest members to ever sit on the El Paso City Council in 2005, and later became elected for U.S. Congress in 2012, taking on a 16-year incumbert. In Congress, he successfully enacted laws that improved access to health for all veterans, added urgent mental health resources for service members, and permanently protected thousands of acres of natural land. In 2017, he ran the largest grassroots 19-month campaign to represent all 28 million Texans in the U.S. Senate.

Hosted by OZY Media co-founder Carlos Watson and former Yankees all-star Alex Rodriguez, the two-day event will feature live music, conversation, comedy, and food from some of the world’s biggest and boldest thinkers. This year’s music performances include sets from John Legend, Miguel, Tove Lo, ARIZONA, Jazzy Amra, as well as comedy sets by Trevor Noah, Dulcé Sloan, and Ronny Chieng.

The festival emphasizes its “global marketplace”, and features a mix of world writers and leaders (Malcolm Gladwell, Deepak Chopra), filmmakers (Spike Lee), celebrity chefs (Padma Lakshmi, Rachael Ray, Marcus Samuelsson), TV personalities and social activists (Jameela Jamil), and industry-leading entrepreneurs (Mark Cuban, Cindy Eckert).

OZY Fest sets itself apart from the usual “music festival” label, fostering diverse discussions and a wide-sets of entertainment for all people to enjoy in the city that never sleeps. Last year’s festival attracted over 20,000 attendees, with OZY Fest 2019 looking bigger and better than ever before.