An ICE agent in Texas shot and injured a Venezuelan migrant who was allegedly in the country without authorization on Sunday, leading to protests near the incident site in Austin, as reported by local authorities and the man’s lawyer.
The officer reportedly shot 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in the torso during what has been described as a “small foot pursuit” around 1 p.m. on the north side of the city, according to Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis during a media briefing.
The event occurred beneath a highway overpass, leaving Garces Perez in serious but stable condition at a local hospital, as noted by Austin Mayor Kirk Watson.
Sources from the Department of Homeland Security indicated that Garces Perez is an alleged illegal immigrant from Venezuela with a final order of removal.
Details surrounding the circumstances that led to the shooting are still unclear. Local officials indicated that the information available is “extremely preliminary” and have called for a thorough investigation into the incident.
“The city of Austin deserves answers,” Davis stated. “We’re going to get all those questions answered, and we’ll be as transparent as we can be.”
The man’s immigration attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, expressed concerns over her inability to see Garces Perez, stating that she and his wife do not know if he remains in the hospital or has been transferred to ICE custody.
City officials and community members swiftly condemned the shooting, which sparked immediate protests. Mayor Watson expressed his outrage during Sunday’s press conference, criticizing the federal agency’s actions. “[But] I’m not surprised at all. It’s happened in other cities with the nature of ICE and the way ICE is doing its business these days and the chaos that we see it performing and fomenting,” he said.
Protesters began to gather at the location shortly after the shooting, leading to confrontations with law enforcement.
This shooting is part of a troubling trend involving ICE, which has faced scrutiny for multiple fatal incidents this year, including the shooting of Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston in July and another shooting of Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, after he allegedly attempted to run over ICE agents with his vehicle.
