ACLU of Texas says the shooting "should never have happened"

Civil-rights organization, in an official press statement

This should never have happened in the first place. Wilber and his loved ones deserve answers and accountability.
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)ACLU of Texas statement on the ICE shooting of Wilber Rafael Garcés Perez · ACLU of TexasFull text of the organizational statement.

Source and context

Official statement

ACLU of Texas statement on the ICE shooting of Wilber Rafael Garcés Perez (opens in a new tab) · ACLU of TexasFull text of the organizational statement.

About this source

ACLU of Texas's official press-release statement, published September 21, 2026, calling the shooting unjustified, demanding a full, transparent and independent investigation, and calling for Garces Perez's release from immigration detention so he can receive adequate medical care.

Archived copy (opens in a new tab)

Before the quotation

The statement followed Garces Perez's own account of the shooting and calls from Austin officials and members of Congress for an independent investigation.

After the quotation

The statement did not identify specific evidence beyond Garces Perez's own account and did not address DHS's characterization of his immigration status.

How this statement is classified

Condemned

Case context: Should ICE's use of force in the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez be condemned or condoned?

The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.

Why this label?

The case's fixed reference point is whether the officer's use of force was justified. ACLU of Texas directly states the shooting should not have happened, which condemns the conduct under scrutiny rather than addressing only the separate question of who should investigate it.

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People and groups discussed
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Reporters and advocates gather at the Austin press conference where Wilber Rafael Garces Perez spoke by phone from ICE detention.
Credit: Leila Saidane for The Texas Tribune

More from this case

Read the full case

Wilber Rafael Garces Perez

He asked officers if he could stop somewhere safer than in traffic under the freeway; he said an agent refused, then he felt one shot to his back.
Read statement