ICE Officer Shoots Venezuelan Delivery Driver in Austin

An officer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shot Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan native, on Sunday in Austin, Texas. The officer was not wearing a body camera during the incident, according to sources involved in the investigation.

Garces Perez was working as a delivery driver for DoorDash when the shooting occurred. Authorities and his lawyer noted that federal officials claim he has a deportation order. The incident is one of the latest during federal efforts under President Trump to intensify immigration enforcement. The lack of body camera footage may heighten concerns surrounding the event.

Protests have erupted in Texas, prompting demands for accountability and a transparent investigation. The detail about the absence of body camera footage was initially reported by The Atlantic. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had earlier promised that all ICE officers would be equipped with body cameras by the end of September.

Mullin stated at a New York press conference, “By the end of September, I’m pretty sure we will be there.” However, representatives for the Department of Homeland Security have not responded to questions about why the officer involved was not equipped with a camera.

The medical condition of Garces Perez has also been a subject of controversy. After being hospitalized on Sunday, he was taken into ICE custody, with claims from the DHS that he is in the U.S. illegally and subject to a final deportation order.

Texas Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro reported that Garces Perez was sent back to a hospital on Monday after expressing concerns about numbness on the left side of his body and the possibility of a bullet remaining in his back. On Tuesday, he was returned to ICE’s South Texas Detention Complex in Pearsall. Rep. Castro plans to visit him on Wednesday.

Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, Garces Perez’s attorney, shared on social media that he is receiving only Tylenol and ibuprofen for pain. She stated he remains in isolation without access to the tablet he used for communication. Lincoln-Goldfinch has filed a habeas petition to seek his release from ICE custody based on constitutional grounds.

On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Orlando Garcia ordered that Garces Perez attend an upcoming in-person hearing on the habeas claim next Wednesday, September 30. This ruling temporarily prevents ICE from deporting him until the hearing is concluded.