Story perspectives

Judge Blocks Garcés Pérez Deportation After Austin Shooting

By Drooid · Oct 2, 2026, 3:42 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Judge blocks deportation

A federal judge issued an emergency order temporarily blocking Garcés Pérez’s deportation proceedings.
His attorneys filed a lawsuit demanding the government halt his removal.
Garcés Pérez entered the United States in December 2023 using the CBP One app.
DHS says his work permit, which expired in December 2025, does not confer legal status.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued new guidelines prohibiting high-speed chases, a rule the Austin incident violated.

Summary

ICE shoots driver

Federal immigration agents shot Venezuelan driver Wilber Garces Perez in Austin, Texas.
Garces Perez underwent Thursday surgery to remove a bullet near his spine.
He remains in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, charged with assaulting, resisting and impeding an officer.
Judge Dustin M. Howell denied bond, citing flight risk as prosecutors seek a 20-year sentence.
Protests erupted in Austin demanding his release and condemning President Donald Trump’s policies.

Summary

ICE officer identified

Texas Tribune identified the ICE officer who killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston in July.
Court filings list ICE agents by initials L.G. and D.F., concealing their identities.
Local civil-rights groups and leaders demand an independent investigation of the Austin shooting.
Body-camera footage from the second officer remains unreleased despite attorney and media requests.
Since President Donald Trump’s 2024 reelection, ICE agents have shot two dozen people, killing six.

History

Historical Context

Created in 2003 under the Homeland Security Act after 9/11, ICE merged the Immigration and Naturalization Service and Customs Service into one agency. Its workforce rose to over 20,000 officers by the early 2020s, and the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill boosted its budget. This expanded authority frames the 2026 Houston shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araújo, now examined by Judge Dustin M. Howell.

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Judge blocks deportation

A federal judge issued an emergency order temporarily blocking Garcés Pérez’s deportation proceedings.
His attorneys filed a lawsuit demanding the government halt his removal.
Garcés Pérez entered the United States in December 2023 using the CBP One app.
DHS says his work permit, which expired in December 2025, does not confer legal status.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued new guidelines prohibiting high-speed chases, a rule the Austin incident violated.

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