Khanna says “no one should be shot in the back” and calls to “abolish ICE, prosecute rogue agents”
Ro KhannaU.S. Representative for California, on his official Threads account
On Threads, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said the shooting of Garces Perez "demands a full investigation," wrote that "no one should be shot in the back and denied urgent medical care," and called to "abolish ICE" and "prosecute rogue agents."
“ICE shot a DoorDash driver in the back in Austin. Instead of taking him to the hospital, they carted him off to a detention center with the bullet still in his back. No one should be shot in the back and denied urgent medical care. The shooting of Venezuelan delivery driver Wilber Garcés Pérez by ICE in Austin demands a full investigation. Abolish ICE. Prosecute rogue agents.”
Original text
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 text
About this source
Khanna's post on his official Threads account (@rokhannausa), which matches the handle pattern of his verified Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook accounts. The post time is approximate rather than to the minute.
Before the quotation
The post followed reporting that Garces Perez was taken to a detention center with the bullet still in his back rather than held for further hospital treatment.
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?
Relative to whether ICE's use of force against Wilber Rafael Garces Perez should be condemned or condoned, Khanna directly denounces the shooting and the agency's post-shooting handling of him, and calls for both an investigation and the prosecution of the officers involved, a clear condemnation.
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The Dispute Index. "Khanna says “no one should be shot in the back” and calls to “abolish ICE, prosecute rogue agents”". First published: 2026-09-22. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1449-on-threads-rep-ro-khanna-d-calif-said