In the wake of illegal alien farm worker Jaime Alanís Garcia dying from injuries sustained when he fell off a roof while trying to hide from immigration authorities during an ICE raid on the marijuana farm on which he was working, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum threatened to sue over his death, as he was a Mexican national.
As background, Garcia tried hiding on a roof during ICE’s raid on a large marijuana farm in California’s Ventura County, a raid in which federal authorities clashed with protesters and arrested hundreds of illegal aliens who were working on the farm, along with around a dozen minors, most of whom were unaccompanied.
However, while hiding from the raid on the roof at Glass House Farms, Garcia somehow fell, perhaps while trying to run from federal agents who found him. He fell about 30 feet, and the fall led to him suffering a broken neck and skull. He was first hospitalized for his injuries, but eventually passed away from them.
His family attacked ICE in a social media post about the incident, saying, “Jaime was not just a farmworker, he was a provider, and a human being who deserved dignity. His death is not an isolated tragedy. It is the result of a targeted raid at Glass House Farms. Workers were met not with protection, but with chaos and fear. Some were detained. Others were traumatized. Jaime lost his life.”
In response to his death, Mexican President Sheinbaum claimed in a press conference event that the Mexican government is considering a lawsuit over the “unacceptable” incident, ignoring that Americans find Mexican nationals sneaking across the border similarly “unacceptable.”
She said, on that point, “We are supporting the family, we are in contact with them, and we’re also exploring the possibility of filing a complaint (in the U.S.) because this is unacceptable.” Adding to that, she said that the Mexican government has gotten involved in reviewing what happened to determine if a legal assault should be launched, saying, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently reviewing the matter.”
Further, she insisted that the Mexican government is taking the situation very seriously and sees a lawsuit as needing to be brought, saying, “It is very unfortunate that this happened. All our solidarity and support go to the family, and there must not be another case like this one. That’s why the complaint must be filed in the courts over there.”
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The Trump Department of Homeland Security wasn’t having it, and fired back in a statement in which it noted the absurdity of Sheinbaum’s threats given what Garcia was up to when he died, noting that he was fleeing from ICE and never even in the custody of federal agents, who called in medical care as soon as he was found.
DHS Public Affairs Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin released that statement, saying, “This man was not in and has not been in CBP or ICE custody. Although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a green house and fell 30 feet. CBP immediately called a medivac to the scene to get him care as quickly as possible.”