Border Patrol shooting of Guatemalan woman stirs protests
canada goose coats on sale Hearing the gunshot, Marta Martinez rushed out of her home in Rio Bravo, Tex., and began recording a canada goose outlet authentic video on her phone. She saw awoman lying motionless on the ground, bleeding from the head,Martinez said in the Facebook Live video. Shesaw aBorder Patrol agent holding a gun. But on Wednesday, she was shot and killed during a run in with a Border Patrol officer, the agency said. canada goose coats on sale
The shooting, which took place near the border in South Texas, hasangered Gmez’s relatives in Guatemala and immigration activists across the United States, inflaming tensions over the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration enforcement.
Border Patrol officials originally said in a statement Wednesday that a loneagent responded to “a report of illegal activity” near a culvert in Rio Bravo Wednesday canada goose jacket outlet store afternoon when he came across a group of undocumented immigrants. When canada goose outlet england the Border Patrol agent tried to apprehend the group, “he came under attack by multiple subjects using blunt objects,” the agency canada goose jacket outlet sale said in a statement. He fired at least one gunshot, “fatally wounding one of the assailants,” the statement read. Border Patrol agents called emergency medicalservices for Gmez and administered first aid until firefighters arrived.
canadian goose jacket But the Border Patrol’s message changed slightly on Friday. While the agency’s initial statement described the woman as “one of the assailants,” Friday’s statement referred to her as “one member of the group.” Officials said the immigrants ignored the officer’s orders to get on the ground, and instead “rushed him,” canada goose outlet orlando according to the Associated Press and CNN. The second statement did not mention the throwing of any objects. The agent, who had been withBorder Patrol for 15 years, has been placed on administrative leave. canadian goose jacket
Immigrant rights activists and Guatemalan officials decried the agency’s inconsistent message.”TheBorder Patrol changes its version and sows doubts about the death of an immigrant,”Carlos Narez, secretary of the National Council for Migrant Assistance in Guatemala tweeted Saturday.
uk canada goose The incident is under investigation by canada goose factory outlet the FBI and Texas Rangers. uk canada goose
The foreign ministry said Guatemala rejects”any acts of violence and the excessive use of force by the Border Patrol, and calls for the rights of our compatriots to be respected at all times, whatever their immigration status, especially the right to life.”The three https://www.goosecanada.ca detained immigrants are all of Guatemalan origin and are all in good health, theministry said.
canada goose store Acrossthe country, rallies and vigils are planned this week to honor Gmez’s life and demand justice for her death. One of the vigils is scheduled to take place in Alexandria, Va., where Gmez planned to reunite with her boyfriend of five years,Yosimar Morales. canada goose store
“My heart is broken for this tragedy,” Morales told Univision, speaking from Alexandria. He came to the United States about one year ago, he said, and planned to marry Gmez and have children with her.
Canada Goose sale “They took away canada goose outlet new york city a piece of life,” he said. Canada Goose sale
In Guatemala, Gmez’s mother wailed in tears as she spoke of her daughter’s death. Gmez’s younger canada goose outlet store uk sisters leaned against their mother, also weeping.
“They killed my child. Immigration killed her,” the mother, Lidia Gonzalez, cried out while speaking to Guatemalan reporters. “Why did they do this?”
buy canada goose jacket Gmez, the oldest of three girls in the family, had graduated high school in 2016 and hoped to pursue a career in accounting. Unable to attend college, she spent two years looking for jobs in Guatemala, with no luck. She decided to move to the United canada goose kensington parka uk Statesto find work. buy canada goose jacket
“She left home 15 days ago, saying: ‘Mamita, we’re going to go on ahead. I’ll make money,’ ” Gonzalez said.”There is no work here. That’s why my daughter left.”
“My daughter went there because of need. She didn’t steal anything,” the mother added.
buy canada goose jacket cheap Gmez’s father, Gilberto Gmez, was deported from the United States last year. He told local television station Guatevision that he hopes the officer who killed her “pays for what he did.” buy canada goose jacket cheap
Canada Goose online Dominga Vicente, Gmez’s aunt, appeared in a news conferenceFriday asking for financial support for the family. If not, she said, such bloodshed will continue. Canada Goose canada goose outlet online
“She is not the first person to die in this country,” Vicente said. “There are many people that have been treated like animals, and that isn’t what we should do as people.”
Canada Goose Jackets She called on the United States to stop mistreating immigrants “just because it is a powerful country, just because it is a developed country.” Canada Goose Jackets
“Don’t treat us like animals,” she said,referringtocomments made by President Trump earlier this month calling undocumented immigrants “animals.”
“We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in and we’re stopping a lot of them but we’re taking people out of the country,” Trump said in an immigration roundtable with California officials. “You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people. These are animals. And we’re taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that’s never happened before.”
Trump later defended his use of the word “animals,” saying hewasreferring to members of the MS 13 gang. “When the MS 13 comes in, when the other gang members come into our country, I refer to them as animals. And guess what? I always will.”.
0
Leave a Reply