ICE AGENT SHOOTS AND WOUNDS VENEZUELAN MAN IN AUSTIN

An ICE agent shot and wounded a Venezuelan national in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, according to Texas officials and the man's lawyer. The man's lawyer, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, identified him as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez and said he was shot while making a delivery for DoorDash. One account described the shooting as occurring during a traffic stop, while Lincoln-Goldfinch said it happened during the delivery. Garces Perez was shot in the torso and taken to hospital in Austin, where officials said he remained in serious but stable condition. Protesters gathered at the scene shortly after the shooting. Austin's police chief said local officers were not involved.

The Department of Homeland Security said on Monday it was leading an investigation into the agent involved, with assistance from the FBI. In a post on X, the department said Garces Perez had "illegally entered our country under the Biden administration and had a final order of removal," and that he was in federal custody pending removal. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson called for an independent investigation involving local police, saying ICE should not investigate the shooting on its own. Watson said he was "very angry and extremely disappointed" that a person had been shot on Austin's streets by ICE. He said the shooting followed what he described as a "significant increase, almost overnight" in ICE operations in the city.

Texas Representative Greg Casar said ICE "has not been truthful in shootings in other cities," citing a January shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis in which video footage contradicted ICE's account that she had tried to run over a federal agent. Casar called for the release of body camera footage from Sunday's shooting, and said he and others had warned, once ICE increased its presence in Austin, that someone could be shot. Agents carrying out the Trump administration's immigration policies have faced criticism in a number of US cities over their conduct, including cases in which American citizens were shot, campaigners and officials say. The Department of Homeland Security's investigation, alongside the FBI, is ongoing.