The pregnant wife of Miguel Angel Garcia-Hernandez, a man who was critically injured during a shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas last week, has spoken out about the incident, and said she wants her husband’s “name to be known.”
On September 24, 29-year-old Joshua Jahn fatally shot ICE detainee Norlan Guzman-Fuentes, a national of El Salvador, and wounded two others, Mexican national Garcia-Hernandez, 31, and Venezuelan national Jose Andres Borodnes-Molina at a facility in Dallas, Texas.
Jahn was then found dead by authorities with a self-inflicted gun wound following the attack.
Garcia-Hernandez, who was on life support as a result of his injuries, has now also died. His wife’s comments were made before his passing.
Speaking to NPR on Saturday, Stephany Gauffeny said her husband, who is in the U.S. without legal status and was detained at the ICE facility for driving under the influence before he was shot, was not “just an immigrant or a detainee, or a criminal.”
Newsweek contacted ICE by email outside of normal business hours to comment on this story.
Why It Matters
While the motives for the shooting are still unclear, the incident has fueled political division in the U.S. FBI officials said that ammunition recovered near the suspected shooter contained anti-ICE messages.
The incident has also highlighted the tension between those against illegal immigration in the U.S., which President Donald Trump pledged to crackdown on in his second administration, and those who feel immigrants without legal status in the U.S. deserve better treatment. ICE raids have led to protests across the country, including one in Chicago this weekend.
What To Know
After being shot, Garcia-Hernandez was transported to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Gauffeny, who is pregnant with her fifth child, a son, said that when she visited him he was unconscious and his arms were restrained to the bed and that his feet were shackled together.
“They’re not respecting him as a human being,” she told USA Today. “He can’t even move. It really feels unfair the way he’s being treated when he’s been [the victim] of a hate crime.”
Speaking to NPR, Gauffeny said she wanted the shooting to spur officials to place more security at ICE immigration facilities.
“I want his name to be known,” she said. “I want people to know who he really was. He wasn’t just an immigrant or a detainee, or a criminal.”
All three men involved in the shooting had prior criminal records in the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Monday. DHS previously told Newsweek that Garcia-Hernandez has convictions that included providing false information, evading arrest, driving while intoxicated, and fleeing from police.
Gauffeny added that Garcia-Hernandez worked as a house painter and that the pair had been married for a decade, having started dating when they were around 19.
Gauffeny added that she was concerned her husband, who she said has lived in the U.S. since he was a teenager and was in the process of applying for permanent residency, would not get to meet their son. She added that she has not told her other children, aged 3, 8, 12 and 14 what happened to their father, and that her sister had set up a GoFundMe to pay for Garcia-Hernandez’ medical bills. At the time of writing, this fundraiser has raised $61,698.
What People Are Saying
Heath Brown, Associate Professor of Public Policy at City University of New York told Newsweek: “I’m pretty old fashioned on this aspect of politics: every person deserves respect and compassion for their humanity—everyone deserves to be treated with kindness. The most vulnerable among us deserve the most respect, most compassion, and most kindness.”
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said the shooting was his “worst nightmare. Seeing the photos today, some of the bullets were in an office that I used to have there,” he said on Top Story with Tom Llamas. “It’s just a horrible feeling. People always ask me what’s the thing that keeps me up at night. It’s the safety of the men and women of ICE.”
President Donald Trump said on Truth Social: “The Brave Men and Women of ICE are just trying to do their jobs, and remove the ‘WORST of the WORST’ Criminals out of our Country, but they are facing an unprecedented increase in threats, violence,” he wrote, casting blame on the political left and calling for Democrats to stop rhetoric against ICE and law enforcement.
In the GoFundMe, Gauffeny’s sister wrote:”Hello my name is Gabriela. I am raising money for my sister and her husband, Miguel Angel Garcia. He was a victim of the Ice facility shooting in Dallas. He is in grave condition. He is the sole provider for his family. His family including his kids, his wife, with a baby that is due to be delivered any day now. The money we are raising is to help cover any medical cost for Miguel and also to help my sister, his wife, with the ramifications of possibly losing their home and lively hood. The money will also be to help with any baby expenses she is in dire need of.”
What Happens Next