Two employees at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas have been fired after a viral video showed one telling a Spanish-speaking customer to learn English.
The short clip shows a man asking a male employee a question in Spanish at the Walmart in the Cielo Vista Mall. A female employee then approaches and tells the man: "No! You're in America. Learn English."
The video started circulating on social media in recent days. A post featuring the clip on The Fit Fam El Paso Instagram page earlier this week has since been viewed more than 100,000 times.
"Currently going locally viral: an argument at the Cielo Vista Walmart ends with an interesting statement by a Walmart employee," the post's caption said.
A Walmart spokesperson confirmed that both employees seen in the video have had their contracts terminated.
"We want to be clear that the behavior shown in the video does not represent our values, and we do not condone the remarks," Lorenzo Lopez said in a statement provided to Newsweek.
"After reviewing the incident and the circumstances that led to the exchange, we have decided to terminate the employment of both associates involved.
"Our discussions with those close to the matter also demonstrate the need for our customers and our associates to be compassionate and kind to one another, now as much as ever."
The Walmart in the Cielo Vista mall was the scene of a terrorist attack that targeted Hispanics on a busy Saturday last year. Twenty-three people were killed and dozens more injured on August 3 when a gunman opened fire inside the store. The store reopened to the public in November.
The suspect, Patrick Crusius, has been charged with murder as well as hate crimes. He was taken into custody after surrendering to police shortly after the shooting.
Crusius, a 21-year-old white man from Allen, Texas, later told detectives that he had been targeting "Mexicans." Authorities have also attributed a four-page manifesto that decried a Hispanic "invasion" of Texas and the U.S to Crusius.
The shooting prompted many, including Democratic politicians, to criticize President Donald Trump, saying his inflammatory rhetoric about immigrants has played a part in encouraging white nationalists to commit acts of hate.
Trump "is a racist and he stokes racism in this country," former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke said in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
"And it does not just offend our sensibilities, it fundamentally changes the character of this country and it leads to violence."
This article has been updated with a statement from Walmart.
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