Overview
- An ICE officer shot and wounded 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez during an enforcement operation in north Austin on Sunday, and local officials say the shooting followed a traffic stop and a brief pursuit.
- Perez was taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition, was later released into ICE custody, and his attorney says a bullet remains lodged in his back while he is held at the South Texas processing center in Pearsall.
- Homeland Security Investigations is leading a federal inquiry with FBI assistance, and city leaders and members of Congress are pressing for an independent review, immediate release of body-camera and other footage, and that the involved agent remain available locally.
- Protests followed the shooting at the scene and at the Texas Capitol, with police using pepper‑ball projectiles and chemical agents, multiple arrests reported, and demonstrators calling for transparency and accountability.
- The incident adds to a string of recent shootings involving immigration officers and has raised new calls for oversight of ICE practices, concerns about preservation of evidence, and warnings that moving the injured man could remove a key witness from investigators.