Federal Judge Halts Deportation of Injured Immigrant Following ICE Incident

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the deportation of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela. Perez was shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Austin, Texas. His attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, revealed that a federal lawsuit has been filed on his behalf.

An order requires Perez to attend a hearing on September 30. “That means Wilber cannot be deported in the meantime,” Lincoln-Goldfinch announced on Facebook. She emphasized that Perez needs medical attention since the bullet remains in his body.

Perez was delivering a DoorDash order when ICE agents pursued him. Following a sideswipe, the agents reportedly shot him as they pulled him from his vehicle. Lincoln-Goldfinch stated that Perez had a removal order, which arose after notices were sent to an outdated address, despite address updates with the court.

Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza addressed a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and ICE Director David Venturella, advocating for Perez to stay in the U.S. during a shooting investigation. Support also came from over 100 Congress members who petitioned for his release to receive medical treatment.

The lawmakers called for the preservation of evidence, quoting, “Mr. Garces Perez is a key witness to this shooting.” They highlighted ICE’s history of obstructing similar investigations, stressing Perez’s importance.

The ICE officer responsible for shooting Perez is a new recruit with vast law enforcement experience, including work with the U.S. Border Patrol. Notably, the officer was without a body camera at the shooting’s time. ICE plans to equip all officers with cameras by month-end.

The officer completed ICE’s Deportation Officer Training Program, boasting high firearm scores and comprehensive training in use-of-force scenarios and non-lethal tactics.

Following the incident, multiple Democrats condemned ICE as a “rogue” agency, citing threats to community safety. Concurrently, DHS released a list of apprehended illegal immigrants in Texas, detailing charges such as terror threats and murder.