Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan man, was shot in the back by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a stop in Austin, Texas, on September 20. He says he was trying to pull over in a safe location when he was struck.
The victim’s account
According to Garces Perez, an unmarked vehicle sideswiped him twice before he realized ICE was attempting to pull him over. After making a U-turn under a freeway underpass, his car was struck again. When lights and sirens were activated, he asked to stop somewhere safer; he says an agent refused, and shortly after he “felt one shot to his back.”
Current situation
He was taken to Dell Seton Medical Center, where doctors said the bullet is too close to his spine to be safely removed. Garces Perez, who had an outstanding deportation order, was transferred to the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall and says he has not received the medical attention he requires. The Department of Homeland Security has not commented on the case.
Two immigration attorneys have filed motions seeking his release and to block his deportation, pursuing a U-visa on the grounds that he qualifies as a crime victim since the shooting remains under investigation.
The case remains under investigation in the United States.
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