LULAC says no agency should be the sole judge of its own conduct
League of United Latin American CitizensStatement by LULAC national president Roman Palomares
LULAC's national president said no agency should be the sole judge of its own conduct and called on Congress to establish independent oversight of immigration enforcement.
“No agency should be the sole judge of its own conduct”
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
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
Austin American-Statesman live coverage of Monday's news conference with Rep. Doggett, Rep. Casar, LULAC and the man's attorney.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
LULAC responded to the shooting by calling on Congress to establish independent oversight of immigration enforcement and to guarantee that any DHS or ICE official who violates a person's constitutional rights is investigated and prosecuted.
After the quotation
At Monday's news conference, LULAC leaders urged Congress to create an independent body outside DHS, ICE and the Justice Department to investigate use-of-force incidents, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to DHS leading the investigation of its own agent's shooting, LULAC states a principle against self-investigation and calls for independent oversight. Closest competing label: “Mixed or conditional” loses because the principle is stated without qualification.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 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
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The Dispute Index. "LULAC says no agency should be the sole judge of its own conduct". First published: 2026-09-21. Last updated: 2026-09-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/1347-lulac-s-national-president-said-no-agency-should