ICE shooting of Venezuelan man in Austin prompts investigation
A U.S. immigration officer shot and wounded a Venezuelan man in Austin, Texas, prompting a federal investigation and calls for local authorities to join the inquiry, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The Department of Homeland Security said Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative branch of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), would lead the investigation with FBI assistance. Its announcement did not explain what led to Sunday’s shooting.
Sanctuary politicians and the media wasted no time in spreading lies about an ICE officer-involved shooting of illegal alien in Austin, Texas.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) September 22, 2026
No amount of smears and false narratives will slow down ICE from doing its job to arrest illegal aliens from our communities.
Here are…
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, described the encounter by telephone from immigration custody during a news conference Monday. Speaking through an interpreter, he said he initially thought he was dealing with an aggressive driver when an SUV approached his car.
After realizing immigration agents were inside, Garces Perez said he asked to pull over to be detained. According to his account, the SUV struck his vehicle as he attempted a U-turn to park, and he was then shot.
He said an officer subsequently entered his car and turned off the engine. Garces Perez recalled telling the officer that he was in pain and felt close to losing consciousness before emergency personnel arrived.
NEW FOOTAGE FROM WILBER PEREZ ICE PURSUIT:
— Savanah Hernandez (@Savsays) September 22, 2026
An Austin security company just sent me exclusive surveillance footage of DHS pursuing Wilber Perez, the illegal Venezuelan who was shot by an ICE officer.
New footage shows two DHS vehicles flashing their lights and blaring their… pic.twitter.com/KZbuiDRpUD
His account has not been independently established. The Homeland Security announcement did not provide a detailed sequence of events.
At the news conference, Garces Perez said he remained in considerable pain and that doctors had not removed the bullet because it was too close to his spine. His attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, said in a Tuesday Instagram post that the gunshot had fractured his collarbone and caused significant swelling.
Homeland Security described Garces Perez as being in the country illegally and said he had a final removal order. The department stated that he was in stable condition and remained in federal custody pending deportation.
The Travis County District Attorney’s Office called for an independent investigation in a statement Sunday. It requested that its prosecutors and the Austin Police Department be included as equal partners and given access to evidence held by federal authorities.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson also urged local involvement during a Sunday news conference, saying the city’s residents were entitled to an explanation of what happened.
Earlier, Qazinform reported that nationwide protests erupted across the United States this weekend after the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by a federal immigration officer.
