A Mexican man shot at a Dallas immigration field office last week has died, the second immigrant to die as a result of the attack.
Miguel Ángel García Hernández, 32, was among three detainees shot on Sept. 24 when a sniper fired at a van inside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility.
García was removed from life support and died on Tuesday morning.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum asked U.S. authorities for a thorough investigation and said Mexico would intercede if it were discovered that García’s rights were violated.
“We are in contact with the families regarding all aspects, both financial and legal, and should they wish to file a complaint, we will make all diplomatic appeals at our disposal,” she said.
In a statement, García’s wife Stephany Gauffeny described him as a “good man, a loving father, and the provider for our family.” She called his death “a senseless tragedy that has left our family shattered.”
García was the father of four children, ages 3, 8, 12 and 14, and Gauffeny is 39 weeks pregnant with the couple’s fifth child.
“We had just bought our first home together, and he worked hard every single day to make sure our children had what they needed,” Gauffeny told NPR.
García, who worked as a house painter, was originally from the northern state of San Luis Potosí and had lived in the U.S. since he was 13 years old.
The Sheinbaum administration fast-tracked paperwork to allow García’s mother to travel to Dallas after the shooting.
García is the second Mexican citizen to die this month while in ICE custody.
Ismael Ayala Uribe, 39, who suffered from hypertension and tachycardia, died at a southern California detention facility on Sept. 22, prompting Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry to demand a full investigation.
Three other Mexicans have died while in ICE custody amid the “mass deportation” push set in motion by Donald Trump upon taking office as U.S. president in January.
Lorenzo Antonio Batrez Vargas, 32, died on Aug. 31 while being held at an ICE facility in Arizona; Jesús Molina Veya, 45, was found dead in his cell at a Georgia detention facility on June 7; and Abelardo Avellaneda Delgado, 68, died on May 5 while being transported from a local Georgia jail to an ICE detention center.
Experts warn there are likely to be more such deaths as U.S. authorities attempt to reach the established target of arresting 3,000 people a day, especially as private companies are being tasked with transporting immigrants, but with little oversight to ensure their safety.
With reports from Milenio, El Economista, The Associated Press, CNN and NPR
