AUSTIN, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 20: People protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on September 20, 2026 in Austin, Texas. A federal ICE officer shot and wounded a person earlier this afternoon in North Austin. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — An organized network of socialist and communist groups moved within hours to turn an Austin ICE shooting into a street protest, rapidly pushing calls to demonstrate across their national and local social-media networks, a Fox News Digital investigation found.
According to Fox News Digital, the mobilization came as some media reports characterized the growing demonstration as a spontaneous reaction to the shooting of a Venezuelan man by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.
The groups involved included the Democratic Socialists of America, Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Party for Socialism and Liberation, which issued coordinated calls for demonstrations and amplified footage from the scene.
Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, 28, was shot by an ICE officer Sunday near Anderson Square and Research Boulevard. He was hospitalized in serious but stable condition and later placed in federal custody. The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation. (reuters.com)
By about 4:19 p.m. Sunday, PSL’s national account had called for an anti-ICE protest, declaring, “ICE OUT OF AUSTIN NOW!” Its Austin chapter and other Texas chapters then amplified the message.
The Austin chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America also promoted an “Emergency Demonstration/Vigil,” while Freedom Road Socialist Organization described the shooting as part of broader “ICE violence and killings,” according to Fox News Digital.
PSL later livestreamed the growing crowd and issued additional calls for protesters to mobilize, including a message urging supporters to “follow the example of Minneapolis” until what it called “ICE terror” was defeated.
Freedom Road describes itself as part of the communist movement and says it seeks to build a “revolutionary, communist party.” PSL describes itself as a revolutionary socialist movement working toward communism.
The groups continued promoting protests Monday, including a call for activists to get “boots on the ground” at the Pearsall detention center where Pérez was reportedly being held.
Federal authorities continue investigating the shooting, while Austin officials have called for greater transparency surrounding the use of force.
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