Venezuelan man shot and wounded by ICE agent in Texas is charged with assaulting an officer
Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, a Venezuelan delivery driver, has been charged with assaulting a federal officer following a shooting incident involving an ICE agent in Austin, Texas. His legal team expressed surprise at the sudden court appearance, noting that Garcés Pérez remains in serious condition with a bullet lodged near his spine.
Why it matters
The case highlights ongoing tensions regarding immigration enforcement, the use of force by federal agents, and the legal rights of detainees in the U.S. justice system.
Federal prosecutors in Texas announced charges Tuesday against Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, a Venezuelan delivery driver shot and seriously wounded by an ICE officer in Austin this month. The charges came a day before he was set to appear in court to challenge the legality of his immigration detention. Garcés Pérez, 28, was charged with one count of assaulting, resisting and impeding a federal officer, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. Garcés Pérez was wounded by an ICE officer in the upper part of his back on Sept. 20 while he was in his car making DoorDash deliveries. His attorneys say the bullet is still lodged near his spine, causing “grave danger.” A Democratic congressman who visited Garcés Perez last week said he was in a wheelchair, in pain and in need of surgery.
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