US: Immigration Officer Shoots Man in Texas
A Venezuelan man was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Texas, sparking immediate protests.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and wounded a man on Sunday afternoon in Austin, Texas, according to local officials, as anti-ICE protesters quickly gathered at the scene.
Austin officials said at a news conference that the man was in serious but stable condition in a hospital after being shot once in the torso.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not participate in the news conference and did not respond to repeated requests for details.
Lisa Davis, the Austin Police Department chief, told reporters alongside the city’s mayor and other officials that city police officers were not involved in the operation or the shooting, which occurred after a traffic stop.
Mayor Kirk Watson, a Democrat, said he wanted the Austin Police Department to play a role in the investigation so it could provide a “clear, independent third eye” into the incident. Watson said he did not believe it would be appropriate for ICE to conduct the investigation on its own.
An immigration attorney representing the man’s family revealed his identity, stating that he is Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan citizen.
Attorney Kate Lincoln Goldfinch said in a video posted to her Instagram account that she believed he had no criminal record and no final order of removal from the United States, but she later told The Associated Press that she did not know his current immigration status.
