Family outraged after U.S. authorities failed to notify them of loved one's death in Dallas ICE shooting
Family and friends of a Salvadoran man killed in last week's shooting at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Dallas say they are grieving without any support from local, state or federal officials — and seeking answers.
Norlan Guzman Fuentes, 37, was killed while in federal custody. His partner, Berenice Prieto, said she only learned of his death two days later, after contacting the Salvadoran consulate herself. She said no one from ICE or any government agency reached out to notify her.
"She has a lot of thoughts in her mind," a family friend said. "You know, how he felt, if he suffered, if he was in pain, if he had a chance to flee, if he could have saved himself. She wonders that all the time, and she has no answers."
A quiet life in Dallas
Fuentes had lived in Dallas for five years. Prieto said he was a father figure to her four children and worked mowing lawns and trimming trees, and liked fishing around the Dallas-Fort Worth area in his free time.
He was arrested in August after allegedly entering the country illegally from El Salvador and taken into ICE custody.
Despite his detention, Prieto said they remained in close contact through online conversations that always ended with "Te amo, I love you."
Left in the dark for days
When news broke on Wednesday that detainees had been shot and killed at the Dallas ICE office, Prieto said authorities never contacted her. It wasn't until Friday — after she reached out to the Salvadoran consulate — that she learned Fuentes had died. She was told he was in handcuffs when he was killed.
Prieto said the lack of communication and empathy from authorities left her broken.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons identified the shooter as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Denied a final goodbye
Prieto said she now wants more than anything to see Fuentes one last time. But she said her request has been denied, and that his body will be sent back to El Salvador in a sealed casket — without giving her a chance to say goodbye.
Prieto said she wants to reassure Fuentes that he can rest in peace and that she will find the strength to carry on without him.