Castro calls for an independent investigation of the Austin ICE shooting
Joaquin CastroU.S. representative for Texas's 20th District
Joaquin Castro said DHS and ICE should not control the inquiry and called for an independent investigation.
“There must be an independent investigation, and the ICE officers who shot Wilber in the back should be held accountable.”
Official statement
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
Official statement
About this source
Official statement from Joaquin Castro calling for an independent investigation into the ICE shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez.
Before the quotation
Castro issued the statement after members of his staff and Rep. Greg Casar visited Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in federal detention.
After the quotation
Castro said ICE had discredited itself and that the officers who shot Garces Perez should be held accountable.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The statement condemns DHS leadership of the investigation from the case's point of view because Castro explicitly demands an independent inquiry.
- 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
Doggett calls for ICE to release any available body-camera footage
“We don’t know enough because ICE as usual is not providing the facts. They should’ve already released any body camera footage that they had.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Castro calls for an independent investigation of the Austin ICE shooting". First published: 2026-09-24. Last updated: 2026-09-24. https://disputeindex.com/events/2231-joaquin-castro-said-dhs-and-ice-should-not