Texa Border Business
By Texas Border Business
WASHINGTON — Mi Familia Vota called for an independent and transparent investigation into the shooting of 28-year-old Venezuelan Wilber Rafael Garces Perez by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Austin, saying federal authorities should release available footage and evidence.
Garces Perez was shot Sunday during an immigration enforcement operation in North Austin. Austin officials said he suffered a single gunshot wound to the upper torso and was transported to a hospital in serious but stable condition. His attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, said he was later released from the hospital into federal custody.
The Department of Homeland Security said its Homeland Security Investigations unit is leading an investigation with assistance from the FBI. Austin police and the Texas Rangers also plan to investigate the shooting, according to Austin officials.
Mi Familia Vota President and CEO Hector Sanchez Barba said the organization wants an investigation independent of the federal agency involved.
“What happened in Austin demands answers,” Sanchez Barba said. “Once again, a person has been shot during ICE’s extreme immigration enforcement operations, and once again, a family and community are left in fear and with questions over what happened.”
Sanchez Barba described ICE as an “out-of-control rogue agency,” reflecting the organization’s position on the federal agency.
“There must be a full, independent and transparent investigation, including the release of all available footage and evidence,” Sanchez Barba said. “No federal agency should be allowed to police itself when someone is shot.”
The circumstances immediately preceding the shooting remain under investigation. Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Sheridan Nolen told The Texas Tribune that ICE requested state assistance around 12:50 p.m. in a pursuit involving a blue Toyota Corolla. Nolen said the shooting occurred before state troopers arrived.
Mi Familia Vota Texas State Director Dayana Iza also called for the evidence surrounding the encounter to be made public.
“Texans should not have to fear that an encounter with federal immigration agents may mean life or death,” Iza said. “This happened in our community, and we deserve to know exactly what happened and why.”
Iza called for “an independent investigation, the release of all available evidence, and full accountability.”
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has separately called for an independent investigation with local participation. Austin police were not involved in the federal operation that preceded the shooting.
DHS has not publicly provided a complete account of what occurred immediately before the ICE officer shot Garces Perez.
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