Updated at 9:15 p.m.: Revised to include Beto O'Rourke's comments at rally

EL PASO -- Beto O'Rourke on Monday led a march and rally attended by thousands that pushed back against President Donald Trump's contention that El Paso was a dangerous city and a border wall was needed to protect it -- and the nation.

"We know that walls do not save lives, walls end lives," O'Rourke said, alluding to the suffering and death that asylum seekers from other countries have faced. "We stand for the best traditions and the values of this country ... for who we are when we're at our best, and that's El Paso, Texas."

O'Rourke, the city's favorite son, was warmly received by a crowd of thousands chanting "Beto, Beto, Beto," urging him to run for president.

"I'm so proud of this community at this defining moment of truth," he said.

He later added: "With the eyes of the country upon us, all of us are going to make our stand."

Law enforcement said the "March for Truth" crowd had as many as 7,500 marching, with several thousand more gathered at the park where the rally was held.

Speaker after speaker said Trump was trying to use the border security issue to divide people, chanting "El Paso united can never be divided."

The activities started at El Paso Bowie High School, and then anti-Trump protesters marched over a mile to the Chalio Acosta Sports Center for the rally. The location was only a short distance from where Trump was speaking. Trump took the stage at the El Paso County Coliseum just minutes before O'Rourke finished his speech.

The people in O'Rourke's crowd carried signs that read "We don't want a wall," "Racist Go Home" and "Build Tacos, Not Walls."

"We have been the site of the politics of cruelty," said U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso," describing El Paso and the border as "iconic" America. Escobar succeeded O'Rourke in the congressional district covering most of El Paso.

Fernando Garcia, a leader of the group Border Network for Human Rights, said the U.S. should be a symbol of unity and compassion, not division.

"He's trying to hide his racism when he calls for border security," he said.

"He lied about our community," said Karen Powers, an El Paso activist who marched and attended the rally. "El Paso was a safe city long before he showed orange face."

O'Rourke's speech captured the Democratic Party position on immigration and set him up as a contrast to Trump. It could be a prelude to a grand O'Rourke entrance into a crowded Democratic presidential primary.

"With the president being in El Paso, it provides an opportunity to test a message that's very different than President Trump's message," communications consultant Hector Nieto said. "Beto O'Rourke can spread his vision and then see how it resonates."

But on Monday O'Rourke played down the impact his speech would have on a potential presidential campaign. And he didn't mention a presidential bid during his speech.

"I'm going to follow the community's lead," he said to a question from The Dallas Morning News. "That, for me, is what tonight is all about. We have so much to give and so much to show the rest of the country and we're doing it right now," he said.

El Paso as a political prop?

Earlier Monday, O'Rourke said Trump was making El Paso a political prop.

"He's making an effort to use this community as a prop to make his case for a border wall," O'Rourke said. "We're going to stand up against that and stop this wall."

He called on leaders to overhaul the immigration system by not only securing the border, but giving young Americans in the country without authorization a path to citizenship.

A Republican National Committee spokeswoman said the barrier in place along the southern border between El Paso and Juarez have worked, including a sharp drop in human trafficking and drug smuggling.

"Beto O'Rourke has returned to his hometown to protest President Trump but Texans know that physical barriers work," said RNC spokesperson Christiana Purves. "Illegal trafficking has dropped significantly where physical barriers have expanded and Beto's fear-mongering tactics won't work against the facts."

Democrats across the county have been waiting for O'Rourke to either get in or out of the race. He hasn't given a major rally speech since his unsuccessful but close run for Senate against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz.

Late last year, polls showed O'Rourke near the top of the field in Democratic Party presidential race.

Since then he's been coy about his future, taking a road trip that some criticized as out-of-touch.

But last week, he was interviewed by former talk show host Oprah Winfrey, where he sounded like a presidential candidate in waiting.

Sources close to O'Rourke, including Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, said he's considering either running for president or challenging Republican incumbent John Cornyn for Senate.

If immigrants are good for the country, the border is secure and walls end lives instead of saving them, then why does the president try to scare us about immigrants and the border and take our land to build a wall we don’t need? https://t.co/zxgmDlf26D — Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) February 9, 2019

— EL PASO CALLING —



Come one, come all!



A bold, confident, ambitious message for the country from the U.S. - Mexico border.



*** JOIN US ***



Monday 5pm at Bowie High School — 801 S San Marcial St. in El Paso, TX, USA. https://t.co/giyL6u3EVL — Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) February 9, 2019

O'Rourke is trying to turn his most disappointing moment into his greatest opportunity.

He lost to Cruz by 2.6 percentage points in a race that captured national attention. A largely unknown congressman from El Paso before the contest, O'Rourke visited all of Texas' 254 counties, electrifying large crowds with an aspirational message that called on Texans to lead the nation in solving nagging problems like how to overhaul the nation's immigration system, overhaul the criminal justice system, provide quality, affordable health care for all Americans and improve public education.

At his rallies, O'Rourke often talked about how he was running for Senate so he could tell his children and grandchildren, when they asked, what he did to resist the policies of Trump.

Now, he's on the verge of trying to resist Trump in the ultimate way -- running against him.

The El Paso rally attracted an array of local and state leaders. Opponents of Trump and the wall carried signs that read "Why lie?" and "El Paso is safe."

And much of the crowd was supportive of O'Rourke's run for president.

Beto for President hats, shirts and buttons were being sold at a brisk pace. Old Senate gear went at a discount.

Linda LaMotte of Ennis rode 12 hours on a Greyhound bus to attend.

"Beto should run for president," she said, carrying a homemade "Beto for 2020" sign. "He's for unity, not just for Democrats or Republicans, but for everybody."

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