AUSTIN, Texas — The shooting of a Venezuelan man during an immigration enforcement stop in Texas has drawn renewed attention to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and prompted investigations by federal and local authorities.

Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, was delivering food for DoorDash in Austin on Sunday when a traffic stop involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers ended with him being shot in the back.

Garces Perez said officers in an unmarked vehicle sideswiped his car without warning. He said he made a U-turn and was attempting to park when officers rammed his vehicle and shot him.

His attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, said Garces Perez was taken to an Austin hospital after the shooting. He was later released into ICE custody even though the bullet remained lodged in his body.

Garces Perez said the bullet was close to his spine and doctors did not remove it. He was then taken to the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, about 130 miles southwest of Austin.

According to his account, he spent Sunday night at the detention center and did not receive pain medication until a nurse gave him medication the following day.

“I am not doing well due to the gunshot wound, and I have not received the medical attention that I require,” Garces Perez said during a news conference.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, disputed aspects of his account. The agency said he was receiving medical treatment around the clock, including pain medication, and denied that he had slept on the floor.

Garces Perez’s attorney later said he was taken back to a hospital Monday night after speaking publicly about his treatment. She said doctors gave him morphine for pain and told his family that the gunshot had fractured his clavicle.

He was returned to the detention center around midnight Monday, according to his attorney.

Federal authorities have not publicly provided a detailed account of what led to the shooting. In a statement, Homeland Security said Garces Perez was the subject of a targeted vehicle stop and suggested that he had attempted to evade arrest, but the agency did not provide additional details.

Homeland Security said it is leading an investigation into the shooting with assistance from the FBI. Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza said local authorities are conducting a separate investigation.

Garza wrote to Homeland Security officials Tuesday asking that Garces Perez remain in the United States until the local investigation is completed.

Garces Perez’s immigration status has also become part of the dispute. His attorney said he entered the United States legally in 2024 as an asylum seeker and had a valid work permit.

Homeland Security said his work authorization expired in 2025 and that an immigration judge had issued an order for his removal from the country.

A federal judge has scheduled a hearing for Sept. 30 and ordered Garces Perez to appear. His attorney said the order prevents ICE from deporting him before the hearing.

According to Lincoln-Goldfinch, Garces Perez entered the United States through a program established during President Joe Biden’s administration that allowed people to schedule appointments with U.S. authorities to seek consideration for asylum. President Donald Trump ended the program after taking office.

His attorney said a deportation order was later issued after Garces Perez missed an immigration court hearing because the notice had been sent to a former address.

Lincoln-Goldfinch has argued that his immigration circumstances did not justify the manner in which he was shot and taken into custody.

The shooting comes amid increased scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement during Trump’s second term. ICE reported more than 50,000 arrests in both July and August, according to the report, marking the first time the agency had recorded monthly arrest totals above that level.

Federal immigration officers have faced further scrutiny following other incidents involving shootings during enforcement operations.

According to the Associated Press, at least 10 people have died during federal immigration sweeps since Trump returned to office in 2025. Six were fatally shot by federal officers, while others died after being struck by vehicles or suffering fatal falls while fleeing authorities.

The investigations into Garces Perez’s shooting remain ongoing, and federal and local authorities have not released a full account of the circumstances surrounding the incident.

SOURCE: Associated Press (AP), Anna Wilder and Russ Bynum, September 23, 2026.