[REVISION HISTORY]

ICE agent shooting and federal charges in Austin, Texas

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2026-10-02 23:03 UTC → 2026-10-21 18:24 UTC · added ~~removed~~

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and wounded Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan national, in Austin, Texas, while he was working as a DoorDash delivery driver. Local official Mike Siegel reported that the officer rammed the victim’s vehicle before exiting a federal vehicle and firing at least five shots. Garcés Pérez and his attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, maintain that an unmarked vehicle sideswiped his car twice before he was shot in the back. ICE officials, however, suggested the encounter involved a targeted vehicle stop and an attempt to evade arrest. Disputes persist regarding his legal status; the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated Garcés Pérez entered the country illegally, while his attorney maintains he entered legally via the CBP One parole program. On September 28, federal prosecutors charged Garcés Pérez with assaulting, resisting, and impeding a federal officer, a conviction for which he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. Prosecutors allege that while the initial interaction was “pleasant and not aggressive,” Garcés Pérez abruptly closed his window and drove away, striking an agent in the torso with his vehicle’s side mirror. A judge has since ordered Garcés Pérez to remain in criminal detention without bail. Following reports ~~from his counsel and his mother, Flor Perez,~~ that he experienced paralysis on his left side, Garcés Pérez underwent surgery on October 1 to remove a bullet that had been lodged near his ~~spine since the incident.~~ spine. His legal team, including the Texas Civil Rights Project, has criticized the criminal charges as retaliatory and noted that the federal officer involved was not wearing a body camera during the encounter. The incident has triggered protests in Austin ~~regarding~~ and Pflugerville, with activists criticizing immigration enforcement policies and agent conduct. A federal grand jury has since indicted Garcés Pérez, alleging he used his vehicle as a deadly weapon and led agents on a high-speed chase. While the federal indictment proceeds, the Austin Police Department is conducting a separate investigation into the shooting.

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