Mi Familia Vota calls ICE an “out-of-control rogue agency” and demands an independent investigation
Mi Familia VotaNational civic-engagement organization, in a statement from its president and CEO, Hector Sanchez Barba
Mi Familia Vota's president and CEO, Hector Sanchez Barba, said in a statement that "what happened in Austin demands answers," described ICE as an "out-of-control rogue agency," and said "there must be a full, independent and transparent investigation" because "no federal agency should be allowed to police itself when someone is shot."
“What happened in Austin demands answers. Once again, a person has been shot during ICE's extreme immigration enforcement operations, and once again, a family and community are left in fear and with questions over what happened. There must be a full, independent and transparent investigation, including the release of all available footage and evidence. No federal agency should be allowed to police itself when someone is shot.”
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
Texas Border Business's report carrying a statement from Mi Familia Vota's president and CEO Hector Sanchez Barba responding to the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez.
Before the quotation
The statement followed the shooting and preceded confirmation of DHS's plan to have Homeland Security Investigations lead the inquiry.
After the quotation
Sanchez Barba separately said Texans "should not have to fear that an encounter with federal immigration agents may mean life or death."
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, Mi Familia Vota expressly rejects DHS-led self-investigation, calling it improper for a federal agency to "police itself," and characterizes ICE's broader conduct as that of an "out-of-control rogue agency." That is a direct condemnation, not merely a request or a disputed description.
- 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
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
- Mi Familia Vota calls ICE an “out-of-control rogue agency” and demands an independent investigation
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/1423-mi-familia-vota-s-president-and-ceo-hector
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Mi Familia Vota calls ICE an “out-of-control rogue agency” and demands an independent investigation". First published: 2026-09-22. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1423-mi-familia-vota-s-president-and-ceo-hector