Padilla says the Garces Perez shooting should not have happened
Alex PadillaMember of the United States Congress
Sen. Alex Padilla said the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez should not have happened and called for an independent and transparent investigation.
“ICE can’t keep shooting people in our communities without any consequences. I’m calling for an independent and transparent investigation because this should have never happened to 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a DoorDash driver who was trying to make a delivery.”
Original post
Where this statement fits
Should ICE's use of force in the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez be condemned or condoned?
On September 20, 2026, an ICE officer shot and wounded Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan national working as a DoorDash driver, during an immigration enforcement operation in North Austin, Texas. He was taken to Dell Seton Medical Center in serious but stable condition and later transferred into ICE custody. Garces Perez says an unmarked SUV struck his vehicle before he realized the people pursuing him were immigration officers, that he asked an agent if he could stop somewhere safer than under a freeway overpass, and that he was shot after the agent refused. On September 29, federal prosecutors charged him with assaulting and resisting a federal officer. In a sworn affidavit, they say he refused commands to get out of his car and drove off, hitting an officer with his side mirror, and that after a brief chase one officer says Garces Perez tried to hit him with the car, and the officer fired. DHS has confirmed the shooting and said Garces Perez was subject to a final removal order. The dispute is whether the use of force against him was justified.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
In a direct post, Sen. Alex Padilla called for an independent and transparent investigation into the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez and said it should not have happened.
Before the quotation
The statement followed the September 20 shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez by an ICE officer in Austin.
After the quotation
The post is the speaker’s assessment of the use of force and does not independently resolve the disputed account of the shooting.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
On whether ICE's use of force should be condemned or condoned, Padilla directly condemns it: he says ICE "can’t keep shooting people in our communities without any consequences" and that the shooting "should have never happened" — an express evaluation that the force used was wrongful, not merely a process complaint.
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- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
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“His case demonstrates the dangers of giving an agency enormous resources and enforcement power without adequate oversight and accountability.”Read statement
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“Secretary Mullin keeps making promises while his agents keep shooting people. Secretary Mullin must release every second of footage from that scene, so we can know the truth.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Padilla says the Garces Perez shooting should not have happened". First published: 2026-09-22. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1434-sen-alex-padilla-said-the-shooting-of-wilber