Story perspectives

ICE Charges Venezuelan Man After Austin Agent Assault Shooting

By Drooid · Sep 29, 2026, 10:07 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

ICE Shoots Immigrant

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot Venezuelan immigrant Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in Austin, Texas.
A grand jury charged Garces Perez with assault after he struck an ICE agent with his car’s mirror.
Garces Perez said a bullet lodged near his neck, broke his clavicle, and required hospitalization.
He was released into ICE custody, now held in Texas, and faces up to 20 years if convicted.

Summary

DHS Requires Bodycams

Rep. Greg Casar visited Garces Perez, saying he needs medical care, not detention.
Democrats and advocacy groups urged ICE to disclose the officers’ identities.
DHS announced all ICE field agents will have body-worn cameras by September’s end.
Reuters review found 31% of federal assault-on-officer cases dismissed, versus an 8% overall rate.
ICE shootings have risen since President Donald Trump’s 2025 return, with over two dozen incidents and six deaths.

Summary

Austin Residents Protest

Hundreds of Austin residents gathered at the shooting site and outside the Pearsall detention center demanding Garcés Pérez’s release.
Middle and high school students staged walkouts at Hispanic schools, waving Latin American flags.
Attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch warned that only the Austin Sanctuary Network’s online fundraiser is authorized.
A Texas judge scheduled a habeas corpus hearing for Garcés Pérez on September 30 in San Antonio.

History

Historical Context

The 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, signed by President Bill Clinton and drafted by Senator Joe Biden, funded $9.7 billion for prisons and added 100,000 police positions, while requiring the Justice Department to report on excessive force. Decades later, an ICE officer shot Venezuelan immigrant Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in Austin, prompting Rep. Greg Casar and DHS to pledge body-worn cameras by September.

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ICE Shoots Immigrant

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot Venezuelan immigrant Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in Austin, Texas.
A grand jury charged Garces Perez with assault after he struck an ICE agent with his car’s mirror.
Garces Perez said a bullet lodged near his neck, broke his clavicle, and required hospitalization.
He was released into ICE custody, now held in Texas, and faces up to 20 years if convicted.

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