Man wounded in ICE shooting in Austin, Texas, city officials say
By Eduardo Cuevas, Boer Deng, CNN
Austin, Texas (CNN) — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and injured a man Sunday on the north side of Texas’ capital city, officials confirmed, but hours later, there were still no details from federal authorities about what led up to the shooting.
The adult male had a gunshot wound to the torso and was transported to Dell Seton Medical Center in stable but serious condition, according to Austin Mayor Kirk Watson.
Watson said police were not part of the shooting involving an ICE agent, but local police investigators were at the scene afterward and doing traffic control in the area.
The man shot is an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela and had a final order for removal, a law enforcement source told CNN.
Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, an immigration lawyer who said she is representing the man’s family, identified him as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, and said he was working as a DoorDash driver when he was shot.
Lincoln-Goldfinch told CNN in a statement he was released from the hospital “into what we believe is ICE custody,” citing attorneys for the hospital.
His wife said she didn’t know about the order of removal. Her understanding was he was in active proceedings, Lincoln-Goldfinch said.
“What we do understand is that he previously held a valid work permit and that, based on the information available to us, he entered the United States lawfully,” Lincoln-Goldfinch said in a statement. “Our immediate concern is ensuring that his family receives accurate and timely information and that appropriate access and communication are provided while the matter is being addressed.”
Lincoln-Goldfinch said her office is working to obtain additional information.
Democratic Congressman Greg Casar, who represents Austin, told CNN it was currently unclear if the man, who works as a delivery driver, was the target of an ICE operation.
The shooting is the latest incident of federal officers shooting a person during the Trump administration’s efforts to dramatically increase immigration enforcement operations across the country.
It happened just before 1 p.m. on Austin’s north side, Robert Luckritz, the city’s EMS chief, said in a Sunday afternoon news conference. It may have involved a foot chase with the ICE agent, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis added.
CNN affiliate KVUE was filming the aftermath of the incident, showing a damaged blue sedan near Anderson Square and US Route 183. The blue Toyota Corolla had damage to the front passenger door and at least two apparent bullet holes in the right rear window, according to video from KVUE and several witness videos taken at the scene.
Watson said questions remain and he expressed skepticism over whether ICE can do an independent investigation. He said the Texas Rangers and Austin Police will take part in the investigation.
Watson said he was “very angry” and “extremely unhappy” about a person being shot by ICE.
“While I’m unhappy and I’m angry about it, I’m not surprised at all,” he said. “It’s happened in other cities with the nature of ICE and the way ICE is doing its business these days.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment. CNN has reached out to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s office and the Texas Department of Public Safety for comment.
The Trump administration has surged immigration agents to several Democrat-run American cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis. Federal officers have fatally shot at least four people, including two American citizens, during operations across the country. In July, ICE fatally shot a Mexican national during a traffic stop of the man’s work van in Houston, Texas.
At least 20 people have been shot by on-duty ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents during the second Trump administration, eight fatally, prior to Sunday, according to a CNN analysis.
While Texas is a Republican-led state, its capital city, Austin, leans heavily blue.
Casar told CNN he is calling for an independent investigation into the shooting and told reporters the city has seen an ICE surge come to Austin, particularly in north-central Austin, where Sunday’s shooting occurred.
“ICE needs to get out of our city and start telling people the truth,” Casar said. “We need the facts in this case to really understand what fully happened, but what we are seeing from ICE in Texas and across the country is unacceptable.”
Casar told CNN he is in touch with representatives of the family and previously spoke with some of the man’s family members after the shooting.
“Right now, this man’s family is just trying to see him,” he said.
Hours after the shooting, dozens of protesters gathered, with more arriving, near the site of the shooting at a busy intersection beside a towering highway overpass in Sunday’s 95-degree heat. Multiple police cars and uniformed officers formed lines on the other side of the street, trying to keep the protest contained.
The protesters lined up on one side, bearing anti-ICE signs and Mexican flags, shouting slogans in the sun and traffic in the area slowed to a crawl.
Janney Olvera, 13, told CNN affiliate KEYE she and her mother went to the protest immediately after she finished cheerleading practice. On the side of the road, she held a Mexican flag to honor her family’s Mexican and Guatemalan heritage.
“We’re not getting any justice,” Olvera said. “This is supposed to protect our streets? I don’t think so.”
In response to Sunday’s shooting, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Latino civil rights organization founded in Texas, called on Congress to establish independent oversight of immigration, and to guarantee any DHS or ICE official who violates a person’s constitutional rights to be investigated and prosecuted.
“No agency should be the sole judge of its own conduct,” Roman Palomares, LULAC chair and national president, said in a statement. “When the government takes or endangers a life, the Constitution demands due process and accountability, and those protections belong to every person in this country.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Amanda Jackson, Sarah Dewberry, Priscilla Alvarez, Federica Narcancio and Julianna Bragg contributed to this report.
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