ICE Officer Shoots and Wounds Man in Austin, Texas, Officials Say

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a man during a traffic stop in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, September 20, 2026, according to local authorities.

The man, identified by his family’s immigration attorney as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, a Venezuelan national, was shot once in the torso. He was taken to hospital and remained in serious but stable condition, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said.

Austin police were not involved in the operation or the shooting. Authorities said the incident occurred after a traffic stop in north Austin. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, had not provided detailed information about the circumstances surrounding the shooting at the time of the report.

Attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch said she believed Perez had no criminal history and no final removal order, although she later told the Associated Press that she did not know his current immigration status. The family has also sought more information about his condition and whereabouts.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson called for local police to participate in the investigation, saying independent oversight would help ensure transparency. Police investigators were already at the scene, Chief Davis said.

The shooting drew a crowd of protesters, with roughly 100 people gathering near the scene. The incident comes amid an increase in ICE enforcement activity across the United States, including more than 50,000 arrests per month in July and August, according to the report.

Source: Al Jazeera, reporting by Al Jazeera Staff and The Associated Press, published September 20, 2026.