Texas Jail Warden Charged with Killing Migrant was Previously Accused of Serious Abuses

The Intercept_, September 28, 2022: Texas Jail Warden Charged with Killing Migrant was Previously Accused of Serious Abuses

“The warden of what was once one of the nation’s most notorious immigration detention facilities was arrested this week after allegedly killing one migrant and wounding another in the desert of rural West Texas.

“Michael Sheppard — who until this week oversaw U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s West Texas Detention Center in Sierra Blanca, Texas — and his twin brother, Mark, were arrested late Wednesday night, the New York Times reported.

“According to affidavits filed Thursday, at least four people were walking along a roadway deep in the desert when the 60-year-old Sheppard brothers approached in a pickup truck around 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

“The group of migrants took cover near a water tank. According to the surviving witnesses, the men in the vehicle shouted profanities at them and told them to come out in Spanish. They revved their engine. The driver leaned across the hood and fired at least two shots. One man was struck in the head and killed. A woman was shot in the gut but survived.

“In interviews with authorities, the Sheppards said they were simply out hunting — at first claiming that they were looking for grouse, and later that they were after javelina. They said they made no effort to determine what they had shot and left the scene for a county board meeting. The pair were arrested the following night and charged with manslaughter.

“For Michael Sheppard, it was the latest in a string of allegations of violence against immigrants going back years, with claims so severe that a federal prosecutor at one point sought the attention of the FBI.”

Additional reading:

The Intercept_, March 24, 2018: Week of Hell: Dozens of African Detainees Allege Serial Abuse and Hate Crimes at Notorious Private Immigration Jail

Daily Beast, October 1, 2022: Alleged Migrant Killer Michael Sheppard Ran Private Texas Detention Center Accused of Abuse

The New York Times, September 29, 2022: Two Migrants Shot, One Fatally, Along Roadway in Rural Texas