Stephany Gauffeny of Arlington received a USCIS approval letter dated Dec. 9 on Dec. 15 notifying her that her late husband, Miguel Ángel García-Hernández, had been approved to move forward toward legal status—more than two months after he died from wounds sustained in a Sept. 24 sniper-style shooting at a Dallas ICE facility. García-Hernández died on Sept. 29 after being removed from life support; the couple’s third child was born three days later. The family has received community support, including a GoFundMe that raised over $87,000 as of Dec. 18, while USCIS has not yet commented publicly.
Widow Receives USCIS Approval Letter More Than Two Months After Husband Was Killed in Dallas ICE Shooting
WFAA; GoFundMeStephany Gauffeny; Miguel Ángel García-Hernández
A North Texas widow says she was stunned to receive an immigration approval notice for her husband more than two months after he died from injuries sustained in a shooting at a Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility.
Miguel Ángel García-Hernández, a 31-year-old Mexican national, was shot multiple times in what authorities have described as a sniper-style attack on Sept. 24 while in federal custody. He was taken to Parkland Hospital in critical condition and died on Sept. 29 after being removed from life support, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and local outlets reported.
On Monday, Dec. 15, García-Hernández’s wife, Stephany Gauffeny of Arlington, opened a letter from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) dated Dec. 9 that said her late husband’s request to move forward toward legal status had been approved. The letter’s date and the delivery on Dec. 15 mean the notice was issued and sent more than two months after his death.
GoFundMeMiguel Ángel García-Hernández
“It was under his name, and I had no idea what it was. I opened it and instantly started crying because the first thing you see is, ‘You’ve been approved,’” Gauffeny told NBC 5 DFW. “If he would have been here, it would have been the total opposite. It would have been a moment of happiness.”
At the time of the shooting, García-Hernández was being held in federal custody after an August arrest in Arlington for driving while intoxicated, local reporting states. Family members and advocates say he had been working for years to secure legal status in the United States; the approval would have allowed him to begin applying for a visa or green card.
Gauffeny and García-Hernández were married in 2016. She has described him as a devoted father and a warm, funny presence who worked hard to provide for their family. Gauffeny was pregnant when he was shot; their third child was born three days after his death.
The family has received community support: a GoFundMe page established to help cover expenses had raised more than $87,000 as of Dec. 18. LULAC called the killing a senseless tragedy that left the family shattered.
USCIS did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and local news outlets including NBC 5 DFW, CBS News and The Guardian have covered the shooting and its aftermath.
Timeline (key dates)
• Aug: García-Hernández arrested in Arlington for a DWI while undocumented and placed in federal custody.
• Sept. 24: Sniper-style shooting at Dallas ICE facility; García-Hernández shot multiple times and hospitalized.
• Sept. 29: García-Hernández dies after being removed from life support.
• Dec. 9: USCIS letter is dated approving his request to move forward toward legal status.
• Dec. 15: Wife receives the letter in the mail.
