Full Breakdown
ICE Agent Shoots Venezuelan Delivery Driver in Austin
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On September 20, 2026, an ICE officer shot Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan DoorDash driver, in the torso while he was in his vehicle on Austin’s north side. He was taken to a trauma center in serious but stable condition, released into ICE custody and transferred to the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the incident followed a brief vehicle pursuit; the shooting is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with FBI assistance.
Background & Context
The shooting occurs amid a summer surge in ICE enforcement, during which the agency reported over 50,000 arrests per month in July and August. It follows other recent ICE-involved shootings, including the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston on July 7 and several non-fatal incidents in Texas and Maine. Local officials have voiced concern that ICE operations are increasingly conducted without state or municipal involvement.
Data & Statistics
- Injury: One gunshot wound to the upper torso; bullet lodged near the spine.
- Medical status: Serious but stable; no pain medication reported while in ICE custody.
- Protests: About 100 demonstrators gathered outside the Texas Capitol the day after the shooting and similar numbers assembled at the Austin scene.
- ICE-related shootings this year: More than 20 people have been shot by ICE agents since the start of the current administration, most while in vehicles.
Official Statements & Responses
Mayor Kirk Watson said the shooting made him “very angry” but not surprised, calling for “clear-eyed, third-party” oversight. Chief Davis described the incident as involving a “small foot pursuit” and warned that violence toward officers would result in arrests. DHS announced an HSI-led investigation with FBI assistance and said Garces Perez is “in stable condition” and “in federal custody pending removal.” Representative Greg Casar called for an independent investigation, the release of any body-camera footage, and accountability for any ICE officer who broke the law.
Criticism & Opposition
Representative Sylvia Garcia condemned ICE as “out of control” and demanded body-camera footage. LULAC President Roman Palomares called for an independent oversight body outside DHS, ICE and the Justice Department to investigate every use of force by immigration agents. Texas Representative Ramón Romero Jr. urged Governor Greg Abbott to intervene, stating “we cannot allow this to become the new normal in Texas.” State Representative James Talarico noted that Garces Perez had no criminal record.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Immigration status: DHS labeled Garces Perez an “illegal alien” with a final removal order, while his attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch says he entered legally, holds a work permit, and has no criminal history.
- Foot pursuit: Chief Davis referenced a “small foot pursuit,” whereas Garces Perez’s team claims no pursuit occurred and that ICE agents sideswiped his vehicle without lights or sirens.
- Body-camera footage: Requests for video remain unanswered; DHS has not confirmed whether the agents were wearing cameras.
- Agent accountability: The ICE officer’s identity and whether he will remain in Texas have not been disclosed.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It is awful that this horror has come to our doorstep,” — Rep. Greg Casar
- “I am not doing well because of the gunshot wound I received,” — Wilber Rafael Garces Perez
- “Bullet still lodged in his back. No pain meds,” — Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, immigration attorney