Stories
ICE Agent Shoots Man in Texas, Detained with Bullet Inside: Lawyer Claims
- •Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a Venezuelan national, was shot by an ICE agent in Austin, Texas, and subsequently detained with the bullet still in his torso, according to his lawyer.
- •His attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, stated Garces Perez was transferred from a hospital to a detention center in Pearsall without the bullet removed or pain medication, and spent the night without a bed.
- •Lincoln-Goldfinch described the incident, saying Garces Perez, while making a DoorDash delivery, was sideswiped by an unmarked black truck, chased, and then shot by agents who pulled him from his car.
- •DHS stated Garces Perez had illegally entered the US and had a final order of removal, but his lawyer asserts he was in the US legally with a work permit.
- •The incident is the latest in a series of violent encounters involving ICE agents, with other recent shootings and deaths of individuals by immigration agents also highlighted.
Key Questions Answered
A Venezuelan national named Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was shot and wounded by a US immigration agent in Austin, Texas, after an unmarked truck sideswiped his vehicle while he was making a DoorDash delivery. According to his attorney, agents fired at him and pulled him out of the car, and he was later detained at a processing center with the bullet still inside his body.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that Wilber Rafael Garces Perez illegally entered the country under the Biden administration and had a final order of removal. However, his attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, maintained that he was in the United States legally with a work permit.
Austin District 7 representative Mike Siegel and US Representative Greg Casar both responded to the incident, with Casar demanding a full, independent investigation, the immediate release of body camera footage, and accountability for any law-breaking officers.
