Claudia Patricia Gómez Gonzáles, a 20-year-old Guatemalan woman, was shot dead by a US Border Patrol agent in Rio Bravo, Texas, on Wednesday. Her family has called for the return of her body, with her mother Lidia Gonzalez saying, 'Immigration killed her.'
Gómez, a Maya-Mam indigenous woman, left her rural village of San Juan Ostuncalco earlier this month to seek work in the US to fund her university studies. Her father, Gilberto Gómez, said she had graduated as a forensic accountant in 2016 but dreamed of further education.
Details of the shooting remain unclear. US Border Patrol stated that the agent fired after a group of suspected undocumented immigrants resisted arrest and attacked with blunt objects. The agent, a 15-year veteran, was responding to a report of illegal activity on 22 May.
A Facebook video shows a woman shouting at an agent, 'Why did you shoot at the girl? You killed her.' Border Patrol detained three Guatemalan nationals who tried to flee. The FBI and Texas Rangers are investigating, and the agent has been placed on administrative leave.
Gómez's aunt, Dominga Vicente, called for US authorities to stop treating immigrants 'like animals'. The ACLU of Texas has urged mandatory body cameras for border agents, citing a history of violence.
