ICE shooting: man has paralysis, lawyer says

A Venezuelan man shot by a US immigration agent in Austin, Texas, was moved to another hospital after experiencing left-side paralysis, his lawyer said Monday.

Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, had earlier been detained with a bullet still inside his body, attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch said. She said the bullet was not removed, he was not given pain medication and he spent the night at an ICE processing center in Pearsall without a bed.

Garces Perez told reporters by phone that he was in “a lot of pain” because the shot fractured his clavicle and doctors could not remove the bullet because it was close to his spinal cord.

He said he was delivering an order for DoorDash on Sunday when a vehicle rammed him and he was shot. Garces Perez said an unmarked black pickup cut him off, an agent demanded his documents and he made a U-turn because he was trying to find a safe place to leave his car.

“That's when he hit me twice and shot me,” Garces Perez said. He said he did not know how many shots were fired.

Lincoln-Goldfinch said there was “absolutely zero justification” for the shooting and called for a stop to ICE traffic stops.

The Department of Homeland Security said Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of ICE, is leading the investigation with help from the FBI. DHS said on X that Garces Perez had entered the United States illegally under the Biden administration and had a final order of removal.

Lincoln-Goldfinch said Garces Perez was in the United States legally with a work permit.

About 100 demonstrators gathered outside the Texas Capitol on Monday night to protest ICE's actions. A makeshift shrine with flowers, candles and a sign reading “Justice 4 Wilber” was placed near the site of the shooting.

The case comes during President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. DHS figures said nearly 51,000 undocumented migrants were arrested in the United States in August.