[UPDATE] Venezuelan driver shot by ICE is rehospitalized after detention with bullet near spine
Federal agents moved Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez 130 miles to Pearsall before returning him to Austin.
Federal agents held 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez on a cold floor without pain medication 130 miles away in Pearsall before returning him to an Austin hospital late Monday.
PREVIOUSLY
On Sept. 21, an ICE officer in Austin shot Venezuelan DoorDash driver Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez in the back during a traffic encounter. Federal agents detained him for interrogation on Sept. 22 while the bullet remained lodged near his spine.
- Garcés Pérez entered the U.S. in 2024 through the CBP One app seeking asylum and has no prior criminal record.
- The ICE officer who fired was placed on administrative leave while the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations review the shooting.
- ICE notified family members four hours after transferring Garcés Pérez from the Austin hospital to Pearsall.