Man shot by ICE in Austin now in detention in South Texas
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Workers on Monday paint over anti-ICE graffiti at the site where ICE agents shot Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in North Austin. Photo: Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images
The man shot by federal immigration agents on Sunday in North Austin was transferred to a detention facility in South Texas, his family's attorney said Monday.
Why it matters: Wilber Rafael Garces Perez's lawyer and immigration advocates are racing to try to prevent him from being deported as they seek to learn what led to the shooting.
What they're saying: Speaking on the phone and through a translator during a Monday afternoon news conference, Garces Perez said, "I am not doing well due to the gunshot wound, and I have not received the medical attention that I require."
- He said he was shot near the clavicle and that doctors did not remove the bullet because it was lodged close to his spine.
The other side: The Department of Homeland Security has not released information about the shooting other than a statement late Sunday saying that the agency is investigating the incident, along with the FBI, and that Garces Perez, who is Venezuelan, has a "final order of removal."
State of play: Garces Perez is now being held at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, about 135 miles southwest of Austin, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, Garces Perez's Austin-based immigration attorney, told reporters Monday.
- Garces Perez is "the most important witness" to the shooting, Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said at the news conference.
- "You don't deport the key witness to your own officer's use of force," Proaño said. There must be no removal while any investigation is open for accountability."
Background: Lincoln-Goldfinch said Garces Perez legally entered the country through CBP One, a Biden-era program, to seek asylum.
- She said he was issued a work permit while he went through immigration proceedings.
- The Trump administration then shut down the program.
Between the lines: The Texas Department of Public Safety told CNN troopers were requested for assistance in a vehicle pursuit, but the shooting took place before they made it to the scene.
- Travis County District Attorney José Garza has requested an independent investigation of the shooting.
Zoom in: "I've lived in Austin all my life, but from what I've been seeing right now, I've never felt more betrayed," Jaasiel Avilva, a 22-year-old Army veteran and son of Mexican immigrants, told CNN during a protest at the site of shooting.
- "It's just domestic terrorism," he added.
- Three people were arrested by Austin police during protests after the Sunday shooting.