Demonstrators gathered at the site of the shooting and at the Texas Capitol on Sunday, calling for ICE to release Wilber Garcés Pérez.
AUSTIN, Texas — Multiple protests were held across Austin on Sunday, marking one week since a Venezuelan man was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a chase in North Austin.
One protest was held near the intersection of Anderson Square and Research Boulevard, where 28-year-old Wilber Garcés Pérez was shot. Another, smaller demonstration organized by La Frontera Unida took place on the south steps of the Texas Capitol.
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Protesters at both events called for Garcés Pérez to be released from ICE custody.
“It’s important to speak up when something’s not right,” Ana Reynoso, a Pflugerville resident who attended Sunday’s protest at Anderson Square and Research Boulevard, said.
Reynoso said she is the daughter of immigrants and questioned why people who come to the U.S. to work face what she described as hostility.
“I don’t understand why that is a crime and why there is so much hate towards our neighbors who just are working,” she said.
Protesters gather at shooting site
Sunday’s protest along Anderson Square and Research Boulevard took place near a memorial set up for Garcés Pérez.
“This is the intersection where Wilber was shot, and so this is an important site,” another Austin resident who attended the protest said.
The demonstration comes after the Austin Police Department released video this week showing what happened before and after the shooting.
One video, recorded by an off-duty APD investigator, shows Garcés Pérez being pulled over by ICE agents. According to APD, Garcés Pérez then drove away, which led to a short chase.
A second video recorded by an APD officer shows the moments after Garcés Pérez was shot in the back by an ICE agent.
Garcés Pérez’s attorney has previously said her client was working to earn money by delivering a DoorDash order when the incident occurred.
DHS says Garcés Pérez had final removal order
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told KVUE that Garcés Pérez entered the country illegally and had a final order of removal before ICE agents approached him last week.
Garcés Pérez remains in ICE custody following the shooting, and said via X that he’s been receiving medical care around the clock.
More demonstrations planned
Julius Lattimore with La Frontera Unida said more demonstrations are planned.
“We’re going to be holding another event here at Republic Square Park across from the federal courthouse demanding he be released,” Lattimore said.
Lattimore also said groups in San Antonio planned to demonstrate outside Garcés Pérez’s court hearing.
The protests come as DHS maintains that ICE operations will continue, while demonstrators in Austin continue to call for Garcés Pérez’s release and accountability for the shooting.