City officials, Austin clergy and community leaders are speaking out after a federal immigration agent shot a man in north Austin on Sunday, September 20. While some condemn the incident calling for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to leave the city, others are praying for dignity and respect for all.
The shooting happened just before 1 p.m. Sunday when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and wounded a DoorDash delivery driver from Venezuela. A lawyer representing the man’s family identified his name as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, who was transported to a local hospital Sunday afternoon.
Attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch said in an update that he was released and transferred into ICE custody, but his family has not been able to speak to or find him in the ICE system. While it’s currently unclear what led to the shooting, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson confirmed at a press conference Sunday afternoon that the Austin Police Department was not involved in the incident.
He and other city leaders including APD Police Chief Lisa Davis, Chief of Austin-Travis County EMS Robert Luckritz and U.S. Representative Greg Casar were in attendance. The shooting also led to dozens of Austinites protesting at the site on Sunday afternoon into the evening.
“I’m unhappy and I’m angry about this,” Watson said Sunday. “I’m not surprised at all. It’s happened in other cities with the the nature of ICE and the way ICE is doing its business these days, and the chaos that we see it performing and fomenting, there’s no reason for us to be surprised by it.”
The shooting marks the third involving immigration agents in Texas and 11th overall in the U.S. since the start of President Trump’s second term, which has faced criticism for heightened ICE activity across the country. In January, Renée Good and Alex Pretti were both fatally shot by ICE agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which Casar mentioned as part of the reason why Austinites want transparency from ICE.
“I think it is appropriate for this community to ask for independence, to ask for transparency, and to ask for accountability,” Casar said. “This is a pattern. It’s a disturbing pattern, and it’s got to stop.”
A statement from Austin City Council members, Mayor Pro Tem José “Chito” Vela, Councilwoman Vanessa Fuentes, and Council Member José Velásquez also condemned the shooting describing it as “the continued recklessness and disregard for human life by this administration.”
“ICE has never made our communities safer, and today is a tragic reminder of this fact,” the trio wrote. “ICE must leave Austin now. We have no confidence in an internal investigation from DHS or DOJ. We urge APD to immediately open an independent investigation, with a review of the evidence by the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, as is the protocol in other police shootings.”
Austin Catholic Bishop Daniel E. Garcia also issued a statement saying he is “deeply saddened and disturbed” by the shooting. He called for those to pray for Garces Perez and reiterated the church’s plea for comprehensive immigration reform during this National Migrantion Week.
“We find ourselves in a time in this country and city, when people are living in terror and fear because of the increased activity of ICE agents on our streets,” Garcia wrote in part. “We need not forget that regardless of a person’s immigration status, every person is created in the image and likeness of God and possesses an inherent dignity that must always be respected and protected.”