ICE officer shoots delivery driver

An ICE agent shot a Venezuelan man delivering food in Austin on Sunday afternoon. He was taken to the hospital in serious but stable condition after being shot in the torso.

Victim identified as asylum seeker

The man is Wilber Rafael Garcés Perez, 28, a Venezuelan asylum seeker who entered through a parole program. His lawyer says he was a DoorDash driver living in Austin.

Bullet still lodged in his back

According to his lawyer, Garcés Perez still has a bullet lodged in his back and has not been given pain medicine while in ICE custody. He was being interrogated at the South Texas ICE Processing Center.

Wife unable to reach him

Garcés Perez's wife, who has legal status, has not been able to speak with him since the shooting. He called her briefly to say he'd been shot, then the call cut off.

“Today at 12:30, Wilber called his wife to tell her that he had been shot. And he was yelling in agony, and the call cut off.”

Vehicle pursuit preceded shooting

Texas state police received a request from ICE for assistance with a vehicle pursuit involving a blue Toyota Corolla. The shooting happened before state troopers arrived at the scene.

Video captures multiple gunshots

A verified video shows at least three gunshots fired as an ICE agent approaches the sedan. The vehicle appears damaged on the passenger side before coming to a stop.

Hospital staff escorted family away

When the lawyer and his wife went to the hospital for information, they were escorted from the premises by officers. Austin's mayor later had an administrator confirm he'd been released to ICE.

“We not only were lied to and told that he wasn't there, but we were thrown off the hospital grounds by several officers who treated us as trespassers.”

DHS says he had removal order

The Department of Homeland Security said Garcés Perez entered the country illegally under the Biden administration and had a final order of removal. A senior official confirmed he had no criminal history beyond being in the country illegally.

No body camera information released

DHS has not provided information about whether the ICE agent was wearing a body camera or if Garcés Perez was the target of a planned operation.

ICE enforcement surge underway

The shooting comes as ICE surges enforcement across the country, producing more than fifty thousand arrests a month for the first time in its history in July and August.

Protesters gather at shooting site

Protesters gathered at the scene shouting anti-ICE slogans in English and Spanish, carrying signs like 'Stop ICE murder' and 'Abolish ICE'. State police deployed tear gas and tackled some protesters.

Lawmakers demand investigation

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar demanded an independent investigation, body camera footage, and accountability. He called for a Congressional briefing by September twenty-eighth.

“Over and over, ICE has shot people and then lied about what happened. We can see the lies with our own eyes.”

Second ICE shooting in two months

This shooting comes two months after an ICE officer fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, in Houston during a traffic stop. DHS claimed he attempted to run over agents but provided no evidence.

Austin mayor and DA seek involvement

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said he's unhappy and angry about the shooting. The Travis County District Attorney requested to be a co-equal partner in the investigation.

“A person being shot on the streets of Austin by someone purporting to be law enforcement, particularly when it's ICE, is something that causes me to be unhappy and angry.”

Civil rights groups call for oversight

The League of United Latin American Citizens, the largest Latino civil rights organization in the U.S., called on Congress to establish independent oversight of immigration enforcement.