ICE Agent Shoots Venezuelan Delivery Worker in Austin

Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan food delivery worker, is in a detention center with a bullet lodged in his back after being shot in the back by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Austin, Texas. The shooting occurred while Garcés Pérez was completing a DoorDash delivery in the northern part of the city, according to statements from his attorney and authorities. The incident has left him with paralysis on the left side of his body and triggered local protests alongside multiple independent investigations.

Garcés Pérez arrived in the United States in 2023 through the CBP One government program established under the administration of Joe Biden to process asylum seekers, as detailed by immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch. President Donald Trump eliminated that entry pathway in January 2025. Prior to crossing into the United States, Garcés Pérez had lived in Peru after leaving Venezuela, joining millions of citizens who have fled the South American nation during this century. His mother, Flor Pérez, stated in interviews that her son migrated to support his family back in Venezuela, specifically to care for a son born with a disability.

Conflicting Accounts and Immediate Aftermath

Accounts of how the shooting unfolded remain contradictory. Flor Pérez recounted to reporters that her son told her over the phone from the scene that his vehicle had been struck, prompting him to stop before agents opened fire. Mamá, me agarró la migra, me dieron un tiro en la espalda, the mother recalled her son saying during their initial phone conversation, according to reporting by CNN.

Following the incident, Garcés Pérez was discharged from an initial hospital visit and transported over 160 kilometers away to the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall. Lincoln-Goldfinch stated that her client was transferred without adequate pain medication or a bed, spending his first night in the processing facility while suffering from a fractured collarbone and severe swelling.

Medical Status and Legal Proceedings

Medical interventions followed multiple hospital transfers as doctors managed his pain using intravenous morphine. Despite these visits, the bullet remains lodged in his back, and the trauma has left him unable to move the entire left side of his body. Lincoln-Goldfinch noted that communication privileges inside the Pearsall detention center were revoked, isolating the injured driver from his legal counsel and family.

An immigration judge halted potential deportation proceedings temporarily after defense attorneys secured a temporary restraining order and a writ of habeas corpus. The court ordered Garcés Pérez to appear in person for a scheduled hearing on September 30, forcing federal custodians to justify the continuation of his detention. Meanwhile, the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division and the Travis County district attorney’s office launched separate inquiries into the conduct of the ICE agents involved. Prosecutors with the Travis County district attorney’s office warned that the encounter may have violated state laws.

The shooting in Austin aligns with a broader pattern of enforcement actions under the current presidential administration. Records maintained by CNN indicate that at least 21 individuals have sustained gunshot wounds from ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel acting in the line of duty during the second Trump administration, resulting in eight deaths. The location of the North Austin shooting has since transformed into a focal point for demonstrations demanding accountability from federal immigration agencies.