Casar leads a congressional demand for care and evidence after the Austin shooting
Greg CasarU.S. representative for Texas
Greg Casar and congressional cosigners said ICE had offered no justification for shooting Wilber Rafael Garces Perez. Their September 22 letter demanded access to medical care, opposed deporting him while he needed treatment and sought preservation of evidence.
“ICE has provided no justification for this shooting, and there is no indication Mr. Garces Perez posed a threat to officers.”
Original text
Other statements by Greg Casar in this case
- Casar demands all footage from the Garces Perez shootingLater: Condemned
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
The lawmakers' demand for care and evidence preservation.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The letter addressed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and ICE leaders after the Austin shooting.
After the quotation
The letter requested answers by September 28.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether ICE's use of force against Garces Perez should be condemned or condoned. The letter says ICE has provided no justification for the shooting and that there is no indication he posed a threat to officers. That rejects the force used, so Condemned fits. Mixed or conditional is the closest competing label; it loses because the demands for care and evidence follow from that conclusion rather than qualifying it.
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More from this case
Read the full caseKate Lincoln-Goldfinch criticizes ICE violence and medical care in the Garces Perez case
“This case really highlights the violence that we see with ICE on the streets and the bad medical care that people get in immigration detention.”Read statement
Lincoln-Goldfinch criticizes ICE oversight after Garces Perez's surgery
“His case demonstrates the dangers of giving an agency enormous resources and enforcement power without adequate oversight and accountability.”Read statement
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas says the complaint alleges Garces Perez tried to hit an officer with his car, causing the officer to fire
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas
“The complaint alleges and body camera footage shows that after further direction from the officers in Spanish, Garces-Perez abruptly closed his window and drove off, striking one of the ICE ERO officers in the torso with the driver’s side-view mirror. The ICE ERO officers pursued Garces-Perez in their vehicles with their emergency lights and sirens activated. The complaint alleges Garces-Perez led them on a high-speed chase through a commercial and residential area. While one of the officers lost sight of Garces-Perez during the pursuit, the other ICE ERO officer caught up to Garces-Perez, who allegedly attempted to strike the officer with his car, causing the officer to fire his pistol.”Read statement
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- Casar leads a congressional demand for care and evidence after the Austin shooting
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The Dispute Index. "Casar leads a congressional demand for care and evidence after the Austin shooting". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4960-greg-casar-and-congressional-cosigners-said-ice-had