ICE Officer Shoots and Wounds Man in Austin, Sparking Protests and Calls for Investigation

A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas, during a brief foot pursuit following a traffic stop, local officials reported. The incident quickly drew public outcry, protests, and immediate demands from local leaders for an independent investigation into the federal agent's actions.

According to immigration attorney Kate Lincoln Goldfinch, the wounded individual has been identified as 28-year-old Venezuelan national Wilber Rafael Garces Perez. Officials stated that Garces Perez was struck once in the torso during the encounter in northern Austin and remained hospitalized in serious but stable condition.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis confirmed that the shooting occurred after a traffic stop, noting that local police were not involved in the operation itself, although investigators responded to the scene. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson expressed strong frustration over the event, stating he was "very angry and extremely disappointed" and pointing to a sharp, sudden increase in local ICE operations.

Mayor Watson publicly questioned the integrity of allowing federal immigration authorities to investigate themselves. He emphasized that the credibility of any internal ICE review conducted without external oversight would be compromised, calling instead for local police and municipal authorities to participate fully in the inquiry.

Federal and local figures quickly echoed these oversight concerns. US Representative Greg Casar, a Democrat representing parts of Austin, demanded an independent probe shortly after the shooting was reported. Casar formally urged the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to launch an immediate, independent investigation, release all available footage of the incident, and ensure accountability for any agent wrongdoing.

Additionally, the Travis County district attorney's office formally requested that local police and prosecutors be included in the investigation, while also seeking access to evidence currently held by federal authorities. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE operations, did not immediately release detailed information regarding the circumstances of the shooting.

Legal representation for Garces Perez indicated he faced no known criminal history or final order of removal, though his exact current immigration status remains unconfirmed by his attorney. Family members initially faced difficulties obtaining medical information from the hospital before learning that Garces Perez had been transitioned into ICE custody several hours after being shot. It remained unclear whether he stayed at the medical facility or was moved elsewhere.

As news of the shooting spread, roughly 100 demonstrators gathered near the scene while a heavy law enforcement presence secured the area. Investigators focused attention on a dark blue Toyota Corolla featuring passenger-side door damage and apparent bullet holes, which was subsequently towed from the location.

The Austin incident arrives amid a broader pattern of scrutiny surrounding law enforcement actions by federal immigration agents nationwide. Earlier in the year, an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston following an unmarked vehicle pursuit, while another agent shot 25-year-old Colombian national Johan Sebastián in Maine in July. Federal immigration enforcement crackdowns have also faced intense public and political criticism following separate high-profile fatalities in Minnesota involving Alex Pretti and Renee Good.