Venezuelan man shot by ICE during traffic stop remains in detention with bullet lodged in back
Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan detained by ICE after being shot in a traffic stop, says he is in pain and has not received adequate medical care, prompting calls from lawmakers and advocates for his release.
A 28-year-old Venezuelan man who was shot by an ICE officer during a traffic stop in Austin is being held at the South Texas ICE Processing Center, where he says a bullet remains lodged near his spine and he has received limited medical attention. Garcés Pérez, who was working as a DoorDash driver, told reporters that doctors did not remove the bullet because of its proximity to his spine and that ICE pressured the hospital to release him quickly. He arrived at the detention center early Monday, complained of severe pain, and said he was given an unknown medication only later that day, while sleeping on a cold floor.
Lawmakers and advocacy groups have demanded his release, arguing that he is a key witness to the shooting. > "Wilber is a victim of the shooting and the most important witness to it. You do not deport the key witness to your own officer’s use of force," said Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens. Rep. Greg Casar called for immediate medical care and said the federal government should not deport someone involved in a use-of-force incident.
According to his attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, Garcés Pérez entered the United States legally and was seeking asylum. She said a notice to appear was sent to an outdated address, causing him to miss a court hearing and be ordered deported in absentia. Lincoln-Goldfinch described the incident as beginning with an unmarked black truck sideswiping his vehicle, followed by a pursuit and a second collision before agents opened fire.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Garcés Pérez is in stable condition and remains in federal custody pending removal. A senior administration official noted he has no criminal record beyond his immigration status. Local officials, including Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis, said the city’s investigation will be impartial and based on evidence.
The case occurs amid a surge in ICE enforcement, with the agency reporting more than 50,000 arrests per month in July and August, and follows a separate fatal shooting of a Mexican national by ICE in Houston two months earlier.