Venezuelan Man Shot by ICE Agent in Texas Needs Surgery

A Venezuelan man shot by a federal immigration officer in Texas requires surgery to remove a bullet lodged near his spine, according to a specialist. U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, a Democrat, visited Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, at a federal detention center in South Texas on Sept. 23, 2026. The shooting occurred last Sunday in Austin.

Casar, whose district includes Austin, reported that Garces Perez was in a wheelchair and still experiencing pain. The Department of Homeland Security stated that Garces Perez, who has been hospitalized twice since the shooting, receives continuous medical care and pain medication. Casar criticized the department's stance, saying, "If they want to say it’s great medical care, they should start providing great medical care today by having him leave the detention center, go to a hospital or to a doctor, and do not delay his surgery if that’s what his family chooses to do.”

Garces Perez's attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, stated that ICE officers in an unmarked truck sideswiped his car twice while he was making a DoorDash delivery. He was then shot and taken to a hospital, later released into ICE custody with the bullet still in his back. ICE and DHS have not publicly detailed the events leading to the shooting, only stating that Garces Perez was "the subject of a targeted vehicle stop." Austin police body camera footage, released after the incident, showed Garces Perez hunched over in his car with a wound visible in his upper back.

Garces Perez entered the U.S. in 2024 using the CBP One program, which allowed migrants to make appointments for asylum consideration. Lincoln-Goldfinch confirmed he was an asylum seeker with a valid work permit. A judge issued a deportation order after Garces Perez missed an immigration court hearing because the notice went to an old address. The incident occurred at the end of a summer that saw ICE significantly increase enforcement operations in Austin, with over 1,000 arrests in June and July, an 80% increase from the previous year. Most arrests were made in the community through traffic stops and other enforcement methods, with nearly two-thirds of those arrested having no criminal convictions or pending charges.