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O. Henry might have written the story if it weren’t so sad. Instead, NBC 5’s Meredith Yeomans produced this report of bitter holiday irony about the widow of Miguel Garcia, one of two men killed by a sniper attack outside a Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in September. A third man was wounded, and all three men were detainees. Their killer, Joshua John, committed suicide. Bullets were found at the crime scene with anti-ICE messaging etched on at least one, so presumably, detainees weren’t his intended targets.
The irony doesn’t stop there.
“A letter addressed to Miguel Garcia arrived in the mail this week, approving his request to move forward with obtaining legal status in the United States. But Garcia didn’t live to see it,” NBC 5 reported in an interview yesterday with Stephany Gauffeny, Garcia’s widow, who gave birth to their fifth child after his death. The letter was dated Dec. 9, about two months after Garcia died of his wounds.
Garcia had lived in North Texas for two decades and worked as a house painter when he was detained by ICE following his arrest on a DWI charge in August. He had been trying to obtain a visa for around two years, according to reports.
It seems odd to say it, given the nature of the story, but kudos to NBC 5 for a solid follow and timely reminder of the human cost of the U.S. immigration mess.
