A year ago, a gunman opened fire at the Dallas ICE Field Office, killing two men in ICE custody and wounding a third.
Stephany Gauffeny, the widow of shooting victim Miguel Angel Garcia-Hernandez, told KERA that this week has been emotionally hard for her.
“I've been honestly kind of avoiding it like not trying to think about it,” Gauffeny said.
She lost her husband of 10 years after the attack outside the ICE Field Office. He died almost a week later from his injuries. Another victim, Norlan Guzman-Fuentes of El Salvador, died the morning of the attack. A third man, Jose Andres Bordones-Molina of Venezuela, survived and is now in his home country.
When the attack happened, government officials said a bullet with the words "anti-ICE" written on it was found on the building nearby where the suspect, Joshua Jahn, carried out the attack before taking his own life.
Miguel Vergara, Dallas Field Office director, said in a statement to KERA News, "We pause to remember the lost lives and the lasting impact this act of violence had on their families, our employees, and the broader ICE community."
He said that although no ICE officers or staff were injured, several staff employees demonstrated courage in the face of danger.
"They moved toward the threat, placed themselves in harm’s way, and acted quickly to rescue others and secure the area. Their bravery reflects the highest standards of public service and the commitment ICE officers and employees bring to their mission every day."
A difficult year
Gauffeny described this year as a blur and has been reliving the days leading up to Garcia-Hernandez’s death.
“Like the 23rd, for example, that night was the last time we spoke over the phone and the last day I saw him as well,” Gauffeny said. “Because I went to go visit him in court that morning, the day before it all happened.”
She said her husband worked hard in the painting and remodeling business, who catered to his children, giving them nicknames, like his four-year-old son whom he called “Cricket.”
“I guess the thing that mostly gets me is my kids because they lost their father,” Gauffeny said. “I don't know what it's like to lose a parent, so I really don't know sometimes how to help them.”
They remember their dad’s sense of humor and how caring he was, she said. “They bring up like memories, like, ‘oh, remember when papi did this’”, Gauffeny said. “He was a just a really good father.”
Their son Miles was born a week after Garcia-Hernandez died in a Dallas hospital. She’s now preparing to celebrate Miles’ first year, calling it a “bittersweet” moment.
“Everyone in my family is, you know, excited for his birthday and everything,” Gauffeny said. “But on the other hand, it's, you know, it’s been a year. I don't know how to feel. I think with grief, you know, now I'm understanding there's a lot of ups and downs.”
Her husband had been the breadwinner of the family. She’s had to go back to work to keep up with mortgage payments, as they had bought a house in April last year.
“I'm not going to lie, I am struggling,” Gauffeny said. Her sister had set up a GoFundMe account that remains active a year later, she said.
Community action after the shooting
Less than a week after the shooting at the ICE Field office, community organizers like Anthony Lazon Conde, founder of nonprofit Dallas For Change, started showing up there from 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The field office was shut down for several days after the shooting and people were lining up for their appointments anyway, without knowing what was happening.
Lazon Conde showed up and began helping with communication efforts.
“We instructed them to take selfies in front of the building. and timestamp it and mail it to whoever they have been in communication with, letting them know that they showed up to their appointments,” Lazon Conde told KERA.
This prompted Lazon Conde and other volunteers to set up shop in the back of the Dallas ICE Field Office, offering water, food, clothing or helping families locate loved ones if they were detained. Lazon said he witnessed the fathers or breadwinners of the families going into the field office and not coming out.
“Some of the first folks that I decided to help out financially were single moms, you know, that were left just abandoned with kids without work, without access to their bank accounts, without any real support system in the country,” Lazon Conde said.
Other community organizers like Flaka Martinez also continue to provide services. Martinez volunteers with the nonprofit La Colectiva.
She said last year’s shooting continues to have an impact on people who show up to their check-ins. “Every single day they're scared,” Martinez said. “They don't know who they're going to encounter past those glass doors.”
Martinez and other volunteers ask them if they have an emergency contact and a plan in case they're detained.
“We have a saying in Spanish, 'es mejor prevenir que lamentar' (prevention is better than cure). So I'd rather make sure that you are prepared to prevent and have something that you may not need than to not have it all and need it.”
She wants the shooting victims to be remembered but said it was also important to continue to advocate for people showing up for their appointments.
“Human life is sacred and they would have still been here if it wasn't for that tragic event,” Martinez said. “And it's not just those people that passed that day, but it's our entire city that's hurt from that.”
“La lucha sigue (the fight goes on)” Martinez said.
In his statement, Vergara said this attack is a reminder of the risks faced by ICE employees.
"Violence against law enforcement is unacceptable, and rhetoric that encourages or excuses such violence endangers officers, staff, detainees, and the public," Vergara said.
He said the Dallas ICE Field Office remains committed to its public mission and the safety and security of those in their custody.
"On this anniversary, we honor the lives lost, recognize the courage of our employees, and reaffirm our resolve to continue our work with professionalism, integrity, and strength," Vergara said in the statement.
Meanwhile, Stephany Gauffeny is planning a quinceañera for her daughter – a party she’s had to postpone due to finances, grief and going back into the workforce.
It was at a quinceañera that she met Miguel when they were teens. They were friends for years before getting married.
She never imagined her last moments with him would be in a hospital. She remembers seeing his feet shackled as he lay in a hospital bed in a coma – and under the watch of ICE agents.
“I never got any kind of private time with him to say goodbye or because I was there at 24-7, you know, someone was there. A stranger was sitting there staring at me, listening to everything I was saying,” Gauffeny said.
Various groups are hosting a gathering this Saturday at Huitzizilin Cafe in Oak Cliff, where a mural honoring Garcia-Hernandez and Guzman-Fuentes were painted this summer. CLEAR DFW will also have a vigil on Monday morning in front of the Dallas ICE Field Office.
Gauffeny said she wants her husband Miguel to be remembered as a human being. “He had dreams, he had goals, he didn't deserve this and no one does,” she said.
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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