July 3, 2018
Washington, D.C. In Piscataway Indian Nation Territory Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen U.S. Department of Homeland Security Washington, D.C. 20016
Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan U.S. Customs and Border Protection Department of Homeland Security Washington, D.C.
We Demand Justice for Claudia Patricia Gómez González Of the Maya Mam People! cc: Minister Sandra Erica Jovel Polanco of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala Dear Secretary Nielsen and Commissioner McAleenan: We write this letter as Maya peoples, Native relatives of the North and South of Abya Yala (The Americas); allied individuals of all faiths, scholars, human, immigrant rights and environmental organizations who work to defend and protect the human rights of all persons regardless of immigration status. Over a month has passed since the murder of our Maya Mam sister, Claudia Patricia Gómez González. On May 23rd in Rio Bravo, Texas a Border Patrol agent shot Claudia Patricia in the head and killed her – she was only 20-years old. Her murder occurred shortly after the implementation of the heinous “zero tolerance” policy, which violates infant, children and youths’ fundamental human rights. We continue to await a response to her family and the public’s outcry against her senseless murder and seek justice for her death. Relatives of our sister, Claudia Patricia stated, “This wouldn’t have happened were it not for poverty. That’s the reason that one looks for their path to continue onward in life, and lamentably she did not achieve what she set out to do. It is important that this situation be known, because many young people are leaving their communities. The situation here [in Guatemala] is very tough. Claudia’s parents are in a very difficult position and are in crisis both because of the news that they have received, and also economically because of the many expenses that this tragedy has brought with it.”
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