Smith characterizes ICE as violently targeting people
Adam SmithMember of the United States Congress
Rep. Adam Smith characterized ICE as violently targeting people without transparency or accountability and called for a full investigation of the Garces Perez shooting.
“ICE continues to violently target individuals in this country, without any transparency or accountability. We need a full investigation into the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez and answers before this rogue police force continues to target more people in our country's streets.”
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, Rep. Adam Smith called for a full investigation and characterized ICE as violently targeting people without transparency or accountability. This is Smith’s assessment; the post does not independently establish the broader characterization.
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, Smith directly condemns it: he says ICE "continues to violently target individuals in this country, without any transparency or accountability" and calls it a "rogue police force" — an express evaluation that the force used was wrongful.
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- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
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The Dispute Index. "Smith characterizes ICE as violently targeting people". First published: 2026-09-22. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1439-rep-adam-smith-characterized-ice-as-violently-targeting