Protesters Gather at Texas Capitol Following ICE Officer Shooting in Austin
Protesters gathered at the Texas Capitol for a second consecutive night following an incident where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a Venezuelan citizen, in North Austin. The protest on Monday evening, organized by the immigrant rights group La Frontera Unida, saw approximately 150 attendees and a significant police presence. Chants included calls for immigration rights, an end to deportations, and the removal of ICE from the area. The shooting occurred on Sunday when Garces Perez, driving for DoorDash, was allegedly sideswiped by an unmarked black SUV and subsequently shot for not stopping. He is currently in ICE custody in South Texas with a bullet still lodged in his back. A previous protest on Sunday near Anderson Square and U.S. 183 resulted in police using pepper ball bursts and projectiles, leading to at least four arrests.
