DHS defends ICE operation in Austin and responds to seven 'lies' about the shooting of a Venezuelan migrant in Austin
The incident occurred on Sunday, September 20, in Austin, when an ICE agent shot and wounded Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan.
Markwayne Mullin, secretary of Homeland Security/ Saul Loeb
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a statement on Tuesday addressing the various accounts circulating about the shooting that occurred during an operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Austin, Texas, and issued a statement to "set the record straight" regarding the case.
The incident occurred on Sunday, September 20, in Austin, when an ICE agent shot and wounded Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan. According to his attorney and DoorDash, Garcés Pérez was making a delivery for the platform when he encountered the agents. After receiving medical treatment at the hospital, immigration authorities took him into custody.
Through a statement, DHS sought to respond to the "lies being spread" about the case, criticizing the media, "far-left activists, and politicians who defend sanctuary cities" for their coverage of the case.
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The seven corrections by DHS regarding the Austin case
- Work Permit: DHS stated that Garcés Pérez's work permit expired in 2025 and that a work permit does not, by itself, equate to legal immigration status.
- Deportation order: The agency also confirmed that Garcés Pérez had a final deportation order issued in absentia, meaning the immigrant was not present at the hearing.
- Legal status: DHS denied that the Venezuelan was legally in the United States and noted that he entered the country illegally during the Biden administration.
- The Bullet: Regarding the gunshot wound, DHS denied that ICE had prevented the bullet from being removed from Garcés Pérez's body.
- Medications: DHS also denied that Garcés Pérez was left without pain medication and asserts that he is receiving "24-hour medical care" and medication.
- Detention conditions: Regarding the Venezuelan's detention conditions, the agency denied that he was forced to sleep on the floor and stated that he slept in a bed. "Foreign nationals in ICE custody receive a higher standard of living than most prisons housing U.S. citizens," the statement reads.
- Purpose of the operation that led to Garcés Pérez's detention: Finally, DHS stated that the man was the target of a specific detention due to his immigration status, and that it was not a random operation.
"Sanctuary politicians and the mainstream media have wasted no time in spreading lies about an ICE officer-involved shooting of an illegal alien in Austin, Texas," Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, said.
"Contrary to their claims, this person is an illegal alien who has no legal status to be here and has been given some of the best medical care he’s ever received in his life. No amount of smears and false narratives will slow down ICE from doing its job by removing dangerous illegal aliens from our communities and making America safe again," he added.
New footage of the chase in Austin
The footage appears to contradict Garcés Pérez's initial account, in which he claimed that the agents did not ask him to stop or activate their emergency lights until after the ICE vehicles had struck his vehicle on the side.
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