DHS says HSI will lead the investigation and describes the man as an illegal alien with a removal order
U.S. Department of Homeland SecurityOfficial DHS account on X
DHS said HSI, assisted by the FBI, is leading the investigation into the shooting, described the man as an illegal alien from Venezuela with a final order of removal, and said he is in federal custody pending removal.
“Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is leading the investigation into the officer involved shooting of an illegal alien from Venezuela, who illegally entered our country under the Biden administration and had a final order of removal, during a law enforcement operation today in Austin, TX. The illegal alien’s condition is stable, and he is in federal custody pending removal. This is a developing situation, and we will update the public when more information becomes available.”
Original post
Reporting
Reporting
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should DHS lead the investigation of the ICE shooting of a delivery driver in Austin?
On September 20, 2026, according to Austin officials, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan DoorDash driver, in North Austin, Texas. DHS said Homeland Security Investigations, with FBI assistance, would lead the investigation and described him as an “illegal alien” with a final order of removal who is in federal custody pending removal. His attorney disputes that he entered illegally and says he has a valid work permit. Austin's mayor, Democratic members of Congress and the League of United Latin American Citizens question DHS's and ICE's credibility and have called for an independent investigation. Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican, repeated DHS's description of the man. On September 29, federal prosecutors charged him with assaulting and resisting a federal officer, and the U.S. Attorney's Office said ICE's Homeland Security Investigations is investigating that case.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Official DHS account on X, posted at 11:33 p.m. Central on September 20, 2026. The post does not name the man or say what led to the shooting.
Reporting
About this source
CNN report on the shooting, DHS's statement, the attorney's account, local officials' calls for an independent investigation, and LULAC's statement.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
NBC News report on DHS's statement, the attorney's account, and a senior administration official's statement that the man had no criminal history beyond being in the country illegally.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Local report quoting Mayor Watson's news conference remarks and the District Attorney's statement. It notes the DHS post did not name the man.
Reporting
About this source
Roundup that reproduces the full text of statements from Mayor Watson, the Travis County District Attorney, Rep. Casar and others on the day of the shooting.
Before the quotation
Austin officials said an ICE officer shot and wounded a man in North Austin at about 12:56 p.m. on September 20. Rep. Greg Casar and Mayor Kirk Watson had already called for an independent investigation before the post appeared late that night.
After the quotation
The post did not name the man or say what led to the shooting. His attorney later disputed that he entered illegally, and NBC News reported that DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on her statements.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to DHS's account of the shooting and its decision to have HSI lead the investigation, DHS itself states the account and assigns the inquiry to its own component. Its only qualification is that the situation is developing. Closest competing label: none; the post makes no concession.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
More from this case
Read the full caseAustin Council Member Vanessa Fuentes says local law enforcement should join the ICE shooting investigation
“ICE cannot investigate itself, and so it’s important that we have our local law enforcement agency involved in that investigation”Read statement
Travis County DA Garza says the federal government has not shared evidence with Austin police on the ICE shooting
“So far, the information has been flowing from the Austin Police Department to federal law enforcement officials, and as we sit here today, three days away from this shooting, it is incredibly important that the information start to flow both ways To my knowledge, at this point, the federal government has not shared any evidence with the Austin Police Department, and importantly, has not responded to a request from the Austin Police Department to be able to participate in or be allowed to interview the ICE agent who discharged his weapon here in Travis County this past Sunday”Read statement
Castro calls for an independent investigation of the Austin ICE shooting
“There must be an independent investigation, and the ICE officers who shot Wilber in the back should be held accountable.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- DHS says HSI will lead the investigation and describes the man as an illegal alien with a removal order
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/1342-dhs-said-hsi-assisted-by-the-fbi-is
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "DHS says HSI will lead the investigation and describes the man as an illegal alien with a removal order". First published: 2026-09-21. Last updated: 2026-09-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/1342-dhs-said-hsi-assisted-by-the-fbi-is