Letter to Christopher Wray, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Thoroughly & Fairly Investigate Border Patrol Killing of Immigrant Claudia Patricia Gómez González
Letter
Director Christopher Wray,
We write today as co-chairs of the Women's Working Group on Immigration Reform to express our concern with the recent U.S. Border Patrol shooting that ended in the death of Claudia Patricia Gómez González, an immigrant from San Juan Ostuncalo, Guatemala. In light of U.S. Border Patrol's changing narrative about the events that unfolded, we write to express our concern that your investigation could be compromised by misinformation and the intimidation of witnesses who could be deported before they are able to give their testimony. We also write to urge the FBI's investigation to be transparent and include all relevant witnesses.
On May 23, 2018, a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed Ms. Gómez near Rio Bravo, Texas. Following the shooting, the Border Patrol released an initial statement that the agent was "under attack by multiple subjects using blunt objects" and that the agent fired his weapon "fatally wounding one of the assailants." The statement also reports that U.S. Border Patrol arrested three undocumented immigrants in the aftermath of the shooting.
However, on Friday, May 25, 2018, U.S. Customs and Border Protection cancelled a press conference to address the shooting and issued a revised statement. This statement changed the narrative of the shooting, reporting that the agent was "allegedly assaulted" by a group of immigrants that "rushed him." This statement does not mention blunt objects. Additionally, the revised statement reports that the firearm struck "one member of the group," rather than categorizing Gómez as an assailant as in the original statement.
The death of an immigrant seeking a better life in the United States is heartbreaking. Moreover, an act of force that results in the death of an individual at the hands of our nation's U.S. Border Patrol merits a thorough and just investigation so that policymakers can understand the circumstances that led to the loss of life and work to prevent it from happening again. Therefore, at the conclusion of the investigation we request a complete briefing on your investigative process and findings.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Source