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Judge Blocks Deportation After Officer Shooting in Austin

By Drooid · Sep 30, 2026, 6:13 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

ICE Officer Shoots

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot driver Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in Austin, Texas.
The shooting happened on Sept. 20 while Garces Perez was delivering for DoorDash.
Federal prosecutors charged him with assaulting, resisting and impeding an officer, punishable up to 20 years.
He has a bullet lodged in his back and a fractured clavicle.
His detention hearing is set for Oct. 2 and his immigration hearing for the following Wednesday.

Summary

Judge Halts Deportation

A federal judge issued an emergency order temporarily blocking Garcés Pérez’s deportation while his criminal case proceeds.
ICE officer D.F.’s body-camera was turned off during the pursuit, leaving no footage of the shooting.
Rochelle Garza of the Texas Civil Rights Project called the lack of medical treatment “playing games with his life.”
ICE traffic-stop shootings have risen, with multiple deaths reported in recent months.

History

Historical Context

In September 1994 Janet Reno announced Operation Gatekeeper, launching on October 1 to focus border agents on the San Diego sector. The first week of October saw 1,470 more apprehensions than the same week in 1993, and by 1997 the INS budget had risen to $800 million while interior checkpoints expanded. The aggressive interior enforcement model underlies today’s ICE officer-involved shooting of DoorDash driver Wilber Rafael Garces Perez.

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ICE Officer Shoots

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot driver Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in Austin, Texas.
The shooting happened on Sept. 20 while Garces Perez was delivering for DoorDash.
Federal prosecutors charged him with assaulting, resisting and impeding an officer, punishable up to 20 years.
He has a bullet lodged in his back and a fractured clavicle.
His detention hearing is set for Oct. 2 and his immigration hearing for the following Wednesday.

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