{"id":443122,"date":"2026-09-21T17:06:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T17:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/443122\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T17:06:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T17:06:12","slug":"austin-diocese-speaks-out-against-ice-shooting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/443122\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin Diocese speaks out against ICE shooting"},"content":{"rendered":"

City officials, Austin clergy\u00a0and community leaders are speaking out after\u00a0a federal immigration agent shot a man in north Austin<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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<\/a>\u00a0identified his name as\u00a0Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, who was transported to a local hospital Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> that the Austin Police Department was not involved in the incident.<\/p>\n

He and other city leaders including\u00a0APD Police Chief Lisa Davis, Chief of Austin-Travis County EMS Robert\u00a0Luckritz and U.S. Representative Greg Casar were in attendance. The shooting also led to dozens of\u00a0Austinites protesting at the site<\/a> on Sunday afternoon into the evening.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n

The shooting marks the third involving immigration agents in Texas and 11th overall in\u00a0the U.S. since the start of President Trump\u2019s second term, which has faced criticism for heightened ICE activity across the country. In January, Ren\u00e9e Good and Alex\u00a0Pretti<\/a> were both fatally shot by ICE agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which Casar mentioned as part of the reason why Austinites want transparency from ICE.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n

A statement <\/a>from Austin City\u00a0Council members,\u00a0Mayor Pro Tem Jos\u00e9 “Chito” Vela, Councilwoman Vanessa Fuentes, and Council Member Jos\u00e9 Vel\u00e1squez also condemned the shooting describing it as “the continued recklessness and disregard for human life by this administration.”<\/p>\n

“ICE has never made our communities safer, and today is a tragic reminder of this fact,” the trio wrote. “ICE must leave Austin now.\u00a0We 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\u2019s Office, as is the protocol in other police shootings.”<\/p>\n

Austin Catholic Bishop Daniel\u00a0E. Garcia also issued a statement<\/a>\u00a0saying 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“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\u2019s \u00a0immigration status, every person is created in the image and likeness of God and possesses an inherent dignity that must always be respected and protected.”<\/p>\n