A Venezuelan man who was shot and wounded by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Texas over the weekend was hospitalized again late Monday, his attorney said, after being transferred to an immigration detention facility with a bullet still lodged in his back.
Immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch told reporters at a press conference that ICE agents “sideswiped” her client, 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, as he was making a DoorDash delivery in Austin on Sunday. A federal agent then shot Perez while he was still inside his vehicle, she said. He was initially taken to a hospital but later released into ICE custody.
During the press conference, Lincoln-Goldfinch held her phone to the microphone and identified the person on the line as Perez. Speaking in Spanish, he said he had received no pain medication or treatment for his gunshot wound while in detention. Doctors were unable to remove the bullet because of its proximity to his spine, he added.
“I am not doing well because of the gunshot wound I received,” Perez said.
His attorney said Perez was back in the hospital by Monday night. The case has drawn sharp reactions in Austin, where local leaders have demanded an independent inquiry. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), who represents the area, called the rehospitalization a “positive first step” in a social media post Monday.
“Now, we have to make sure he fully recovers, is reunited with his family, and gets to tell law enforcement the full story of how he was shot in the back by ICE,” Casar wrote. The shooting has also intensified broader scrutiny of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics, with critics pointing to Salazar breaking with Trump over the immigration crackdown as a sign of mounting political fallout.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis, in a video message Monday, acknowledged the “concern and uncertainty” the shooting has generated and pledged that her department would conduct an impartial investigation. “People will have strong feelings about what happened,” she said. “People will have questions — and they should — but in determining what happened in this particular incident, we have to allow evidence, and not rumor, speculation or incomplete information guide us.”
The Department of Homeland Security, which encompasses Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, is leading the federal investigation. The incident has also renewed attention on previous cases of ICE officer misconduct, including an ICE officer pleading not guilty in a Minneapolis shooting cover-up.
Local officials and community groups have called for transparency and accountability. The shooting has become a flashpoint in Texas, where immigration enforcement is a central issue in the upcoming Senate race. A recent new Texas poll shows the Senate race tied, with Abbott leading by 3, underscoring the political stakes.
As Perez remains hospitalized, his attorney says he is focused on recovery. The investigation continues, with DHS urging the public to avoid speculation. For now, questions about how a routine delivery turned into a shooting remain unanswered, and the case is likely to fuel further debate over the use of force by federal immigration agents.
