Today marks the second anniversary of the murder of 9-year-old Brisenia Flores and her father Raul. From Border Action Network:

Today, Monday, May 30th, marks two years since three Minutemen members stormed an Arivaca, Arizona home. In an elaborate plot intended to raise money for their Minutemen chapter, they brutally murdered nine-year-old Brisenia Flores and her father Raul. The only survivor, Brisenia’s mother, had to watch her family die as she lay wounded on the floor.

While the murder trail against Shawna Forde and the other two perpetrators was proceeding, the Arizona legislature debated and approved a bill that would create a state militia to patrol the border. Governor Brewer signed this bill into law last month that could result in people like Shawna Forde having state-sanctioned license to brutalize Latino and immigrant families in Arizona.

Minutemen leader Shawna Forde and gunman Jason Bush both received the death penalty for their roles in Brisenia and Raul’s murders. A third participant, Albert Robert Gaxiola, is awaiting trial.

The following is a statement from Jennifer Allen, Border Action Network’s Executive Director:

“Memorial Day today marks the second anniversary of the brutal murder of Brisenia Flores and her father in Arivaca, Arizona. It is simply unacceptable that people are dying in the border region —whether through heat exhaustion, at the hands of armed vigilantes or by poorly trained Border Patrol agents who needlessly respond with lethal force. The list of those we have lost continues to grow —from Esequiel Hernandez, Francisco Dominguez Rivera, Brisenia and Raul Flores, Carlos La Madrid, Ramses Barron Torres, and many others.

“Out of respect for the families who have lost loved ones and to our nation’s principle of equal protection under the law, we challenge local, state and national policymakers to stop the practice of scapegoating the border. We challenge policy makers to help lead this country to a place where the border, the people who cross it and the people who live there are seen as full human beings and are treated with the same rights and dignity as anyone else.”