Joaquin Castro calls ICE “rogue, lawless, and deadly” after the Garcés Pérez shooting
Joaquin CastroU.S. Representative for Texas’s 20th congressional district
Rep. Joaquin Castro described ICE as “rogue, lawless, and deadly” in an official statement about the Austin shooting and called for an independent investigation, medical care for Garcés Pérez, and for him to remain in Texas.
“An ICE agent shot Wilber Rafael Garcés Perez in Austin on Sunday. Instead of receiving medical care, he was sent to an ICE prison. No pain medicine, made to sleep on the floor, and threatened with deportation. Under Trump, ICE has become rogue, lawless, and deadly.”
Official statement
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
Official statement
About this source
An official House page hosting Castro’s video about the Austin shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez. The page says Castro is calling for an independent investigation, immediate medical care, and for Perez to remain in Texas; it also contains Castro’s attributed account of Perez’s detention and medical treatment. Embedded video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhFBycT6Ups.
Before the quotation
On his official House page hosting a video titled “The Austin ICE shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez,” Castro opened by referring to the shooting.
After the quotation
Castro also said Perez had been sent to an ICE detention facility rather than receiving medical care and called for an independent investigation, immediate medical care, and for Perez to remain in Texas. Those medical-treatment statements are Castro’s attributed account in the same official post.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the ICE officer’s use of force against Garcés Pérez, Castro calls ICE “rogue, lawless, and deadly” in a statement specifically about the shooting and urges an independent investigation. This is condemnation of the conduct, not merely a procedural proposal.
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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
Casar demands all footage from the Garces Perez shooting
“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. "Joaquin Castro calls ICE “rogue, lawless, and deadly” after the Garcés Pérez shooting". First published: 2026-09-22. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1527-rep-joaquin-castro-described-ice-as-rogue-lawless