AUSTIN, Texas – Politicians and advocates gathered Monday to urge U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release a Venezuelan father who was shot by an ICE officer in Austin over the weekend.
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, was shot and injured by an ICE officer on Sunday, according to city officials.
Perez’s attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, said he was released from a hospital around 4 a.m. Monday and taken to an ICE detention facility in Pearsall.
Perez was released with a bullet inside the wound on his back, according to Lincoln-Goldfinch and U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Austin). In an email, DHS told KSAT he was “stable” as of 11:45 p.m. Sunday.
KSAT asked DHS other questions about the shooting, including about the bullet still lodged in Perez’s back. We have yet to hear from the department as of Monday afternoon.
During a news conference Monday, Perez answered reporter questions over the phone while detained inside the ICE detention facility.
Perez said he is not feeling well.
The bullet from the shooting is still intact because the impact came very close to his spine, according to a translator on the phone with Perez.
Lincoln-Goldfinch said Perez did not receive medical attention at the hospital in Austin.
Perez asked doctors if they were going to remove the bullet from his back. According to Lincoln-Goldfinch, they replied with, “They’re in a hurry to get you out of here.”
Perez’s wife and family were also declined access to visit him in the hospital, according to Casar.
Immigration officers took Perez to the facility around 10 a.m. Monday. Lincoln-Goldfinch said the only medication Perez received was a pill at the immigration facility Monday morning.
Watch the full news conference below:
Multiple politicians called for Perez’s release and demanded he receive medical care.
“If I was shot, if Michael Dell was shot and taken to the Dell Medical Center, we will not be dispatched from the hospital four hours after being shot. We would be there for days,” Casar said.
In a statement, DHS said, “(Perez’s) condition is stable, and he is in federal custody pending removal.”
Casar said Perez is a key witness of the shooting and should not be deported. Additionally, the congressman asked ICE to keep the involved officers in Texas during the investigation.
Lincoln-Goldfinch said she’s filing a temporary restraining order in federal court on Monday to try and stop ICE from deporting Perez.
What we know
According to Lincoln-Goldfinch, Perez had a valid work permit and entered the U.S. legally. Perez changed his address with immigration court but did not know he needed to attend a required hearing due to the change — which prompted his removal order.
There are conflicting reports about whether Perez was inside a vehicle or on foot during the shooting, but Lincoln-Goldfinch said he was making a food delivery.
Over the phone, Perez explained what he saw during his encounter with ICE.
He was driving along Anderson Lane in Austin to deliver a DoorDash order when an unmarked SUV drove next to him in an attempt to sideswipe him, Perez said over the phone.
Perez said he asked if the officer could pull over, but the officer said “no.” Perez made a U-turn to find a spot to park when the officer sideswiped him again and eventually shot at him.
DHS is leading the shooting investigation. The department has not yet provided details on the shooting. KSAT reached out to DHS for additional information.
This is the third ICE-related shooting in Texas this year.
More coverage of this story on KSAT:
