ICE agent shoots Venezuelan man in Austin, Texas, sparking protests

On September 20, 2026, a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and wounded Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan national, in North Austin, Texas. The incident, which occurred during a brief foot pursuit, left Garces Perez in serious but stable condition and sparked immediate protests. While federal sources claim Garces Perez is undocumented with a removal order, his attorney states he entered legally with a work permit. Local officials have demanded an independent investigation.

Austin ICE shooting incident

• ▪The Texas Department of Public Safety stated state troopers were requested to assist ICE in pursuing the Toyota Corolla on September 20, 2026, but the shooting occurred before they arrived
• ▪A federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and wounded a man on September 20, 2026, in North Austin, Texas, leaving him in serious but stable condition
• ▪The September 20, 2026 shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez occurred near the intersection of Research Boulevard and Anderson Square in Austin, Texas, leaving a blue Toyota Corolla with bullet holes
• ▪Austin City Councilmember Mike Siegel alleged that an ICE Ford Expedition rammed the Toyota Corolla of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez before an ICE officer fired multiple shots on September 20, 2026
• ▪Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis stated that the September 20, 2026 shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez by an ICE agent occurred after a brief foot pursuit, and that local police were not involved

Wilber Rafael Garces Perez identity

• ▪Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was hospitalized at Dell Seton Medical Center with a single gunshot wound to the torso following the September 20, 2026 shooting by an ICE agent in Austin, Texas
• ▪Immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch identified the man shot by an ICE agent in Austin, Texas, on September 20, 2026, as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan national
• ▪The wife and attorney of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez stated they were barred from seeing him at Dell Seton Medical Center following the September 20, 2026 shooting of Garces Perez by an ICE agent
• ▪Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was released from Dell Seton Medical Center on the evening of September 20, 2026, and taken into federal ICE custody

Immigration status dispute

• ▪Attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch stated that Wilber Rafael Garces Perez previously held a valid U.S. work permit and had entered the United States legally
• ▪Federal law enforcement sources stated that Wilber Rafael Garces Perez is an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela who has an active final order of removal

Independent investigation demands

• ▪The Travis County District Attorney's Office requested federal cooperation to review evidence from the September 20, 2026 shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez for potential state law violations
• ▪Multiple U.S. officials stated that Homeland Security Investigations will lead the investigation into the September 20, 2026 shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez by an ICE agent in Austin, Texas, with assistance from the FBI
• ▪Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and U.S. Representative Greg Casar demanded an independent investigation into the September 20, 2026 ICE shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez

Protest response

• ▪Dozens of protesters gathered at the North Austin shooting scene on September 20, 2026, carrying signs and flags to protest against ICE operations
• ▪Austin police officers fired pepper ball-like projectiles at demonstrators who threw rocks and water bottles during protests following the September 20, 2026 shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez by an ICE agent

ICE operations pattern Texas

• ▪Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and Representative Greg Casar stated that the September 20, 2026 shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez by an ICE agent occurred amid a recent surge in ICE enforcement operations in Austin
• ▪The September 20, 2026 shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez by an ICE agent follows other ICE-involved shootings, including the July 2026 fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Texas

Debatable claims

• ▪ICE should ban its agents from conducting vehicle stops
• ▪ICE should halt its immigration enforcement surge in Austin