Dozens of people gathered Friday night at a vigil at Dallas City Hall to condemn violence against immigrants and to demand justice for Norlán Guzmán Fuentes and Miguel Angel García Hernández, who died in the shooting at the ICE offices in Dallas on Sept. 24, and for José Andrés Bordones Molina, who was wounded.
With electronic candles lit in the shape of a heart, people laid flowers and messages of protest for what they consider a failure of the government not only to protect the lives of those in its custody, but also to foster an atmosphere of division in communities.
“When the government detains someone, it takes on a solemn responsibility: to keep them safe and sound. A jail cell, a detention center, a holding facility — these are places where lives are in the government’s hands,” said Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, an immigration attorney who attended the vigil. “When people die or suffer violence in custody, it is not only a tragedy, it is a failure of duty and of humanity.”
The Trump Administration ramped up immigration enforcement efforts after his second inauguration in January, in order to tackle what Republicans call a swell of migrants across the border.
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The White House framed the situation as a national security crisis, prompting measures to deter undocumented migration and tighten asylum rules, which have fueled fear in immigrant communities and deepened polarization on this issue in the United States.
A vigil for the ICE shooting victims was held at City Hall in Dallas, Texas, Friday, October 3, 2025.
Anja Schlein / Special Contributor
Eric Cedillo, the immigration attorney who represents Stephanie Gauffeny, the widow of Miguel Angel García Hernández, revealed that she had her son on Friday.
“She had a beautiful baby boy named Alexander García, who will never know his father because Miguel’s life was taken absolutely for no reason,” said Cedillo.
The lawyer said that on the day of the shooting, García was inside the van with an 18-year-old boy with whom he was talking about his family.
“And in an instant, the bullets crashed through the window and hit Miguel,” Cedillo said. “He turned to that boy and said, ‘I don’t think I’m going to make it. Get underneath me, let me shield you.’ That’s the story that needs to get out, the heroism of Miguel García.”
A vigil for the ICE shooting victims was held at City Hall in Dallas, Texas, Friday, October 3, 2025.
Anja Schlein / Special Contributor
During the vigil, a message from the sister of Norlán Guzmán Fuentes, a Salvadoran who died on the day of the shooting, was read. She recounted that on Aug. 24, her brother was the victim of violence and was recovering in the hospital from a stabbing, and there, the police arrested him.
“She wants people to know that she was told she will not be able to see her brother’s body and will only be allowed to have a two-hour funeral and will not be able to have an open casket,” said Janet Martínez of Vecinos Unidos DFW. “She wants people to know that she was told she did not have to identify her brother’s body because they took his fingerprints. She wants justice for her brother.”
A vigil for the ICE shooting victims was held at City Hall in Dallas, Texas, Friday, October 3, 2025.
Anja Schlein / Special Contributor
Activists called for an end to what they call a hostile environment against immigrants, as peaceful coexistence is difficult when “we are being encouraged to turn on one another,” said Eric Folkerth, senior pastor of Kessler Park UMC United Methodist Church, in Dallas.
“This is not how America is supposed to be. The rhetoric and the action of our government are driving dangerous wedges into the heart of American neighborhoods,” said Folkerth.
The final call was for citizens to register to vote in the upcoming elections so they can influence the future of the country’s immigration policy.