» Mexico decries ‘act of terrorism’ against its citizens.

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s government said it considers a shooting at a crowded department store in El Paso that left eight of its citizens dead an “act of terrorism” against Mexicans and hopes it will lead to changes in U.S. gun laws.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Monday that Mexico will respect the debate that will unfold in the United States after Saturday’s attack that killed a total of 22 people, but he believes the discussion could lead to change north of the border.

“There could be a change to their laws because it is stunning what is happening, unfortunate and very powerful,” Lopez Obrador said. “I don’t rule out that they could change their constitution and laws. These are new times; you have to always be adjusting the legal framework to the new reality.”

Meanwhile, Venezuela and Uruguay on Monday warned their citizens to exercise caution when traveling in the United States.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Areaza advised citizens to “take extreme precautions or postpone their travels in the face of the proliferation of acts of violence and hate crimes.” The Uruguayan foreign ministry warned of “growing indiscriminate violence, mostly for hate crimes.”

Uruguay warned of “the indiscriminate possession of firearms by the population” in the United States, and advised travelers not to take children to theme parks, sporting events, fairs and other places where crowds gather.

Many in Mexico were reeling from revelations that the shooting appeared to have been aimed at Hispanics — and Mexicans in particular.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard urged the U.S. government to establish a “clear and convincing position against hate crimes” after what he labeled “an act of terrorism” against Mexicans

On Monday, Ebrard raised the death toll of Mexican citizens to eight. He had previously said there were seven wounded, but that figure was not updated. Ebrard traveled to El Paso later Monday to meet with families of the victims.

“Mexico is outraged,” he said.

Ebrard said Mexico would take legal action against the business that sold the shooter the gun and that its Attorney General’s Office would declare it an act of terrorism against Mexican citizens. This would give Mexican prosecutors access to information about the case, Ebrard said. Then the attorney general would decide whether to pursue the shooter’s extradition to Mexico.

“For Mexico, this individual is a terrorist,” he said.

Just minutes before the rampage, U.S. investigators believe the shooter posted a rambling online manifesto in which he railed against a perceived “invasion” of Hispanics coming into the U.S.