Luna blames sanctuary cities for an “avoidable” situation, but says “we just don't know enough facts”
Anna Paulina LunaU.S. Representative for Florida's 13th congressional district, on her official X account and in a Fox News interview
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) posted on X that the situation was "completely avoidable" because sanctuary cities refuse to work with ICE. In a separate Fox News interview the same day, she said she would "continue to obviously ensure that there is oversight and accountability" as a member of a relevant committee, while also saying ICE "does go after... some of the worst of the worst" and that "we just don't know enough facts to really determine what really happened right here."
“This unfortunate situation was completely avoidable. In many sanctuary cities there is a refusal to work with ICE, which, if you are concerned for residents safety, don't you think you should have LEO interfacing? I will continue to obviously ensure that there is oversight and accountability – I sit on that committee – and I'm sure this will be brought up as soon as we return from the elections. But, again, ICE does go after – a majority of the time – some of the worst of the worst, and so we just don't know enough facts to really determine what really happened right here.”
Original post
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
Luna's post on her official X account (@RepLuna). The post is timestamped 12:43:58 UTC.
Reporting
About this source
The Floridian's report, which also embeds Luna's X post and reports that she made these further remarks in a Fox News interview.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Luna's remarks followed the shooting and DHS's account describing Garces Perez as an "illegal alien" with a final removal order.
After the quotation
Her office did not address the specific facts of the Austin shooting beyond these remarks in the cited source.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to DHS's decision to have its own component lead the investigation into the shooting, Luna combines an argument that sanctuary-city policy, not ICE conduct, caused the shooting with a statement that she will personally ensure oversight and that too few facts are known to judge what happened. Those are materially different positions — excusing ICE's role while also reserving judgment and committing to accountability — which fits “Mixed or conditional”. The closest competing label, “Defended or excused”, loses because she does not conclude the shooting itself was justified; “Challenged the characterization” loses because she does not dispute a specific DHS description.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
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“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
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“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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- Luna blames sanctuary cities for an “avoidable” situation, but says “we just don't know enough facts”
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The Dispute Index. "Luna blames sanctuary cities for an “avoidable” situation, but says “we just don't know enough facts”". First published: 2026-09-22. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/1422-rep-anna-paulina-luna-r-fla-posted-on