ICE Officer Shoots and Wounds Venezuelan DoorDash Driver in North Austin

An ICE officer shot and wounded Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan national, in North Austin, Texas just before 1 p.m. on Sunday, September 20, 2026, near Anderson Square on Research Boulevard. Garces Perez was delivering food for DoorDash — the company confirmed he was actively on a delivery — when ICE officers conducting a targeted enforcement operation based on license-plate checks approached his vehicle. He was shot once in the torso and transported to Dell Seton Medical Center within nine minutes, listed in serious but stable condition; a bullet remained lodged in his back as of Monday. DHS said Garces Perez was an undocumented immigrant with a final order of removal, while his attorney disputed that characterization, saying he has no criminal history, has lived in Austin about two years, is married to a woman with legal U.S. status, and had no final removal order. He was released from the hospital into federal custody Sunday evening and was being held at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall by Monday. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis confirmed local police were not involved in the operation. About 100 protesters gathered at the scene. Mayor Kirk Watson said he was 'very angry and extremely disappointed' and 'not surprised' given a pattern of similar incidents in other cities. The shooting is at least the third involving federal immigration agents in Texas since the start of Trump's second term, following the fatal July 7, 2026 shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a Houston traffic stop.