Lack of Body Camera Footage Adds Concern in Austin ICE Shooting

On September 20, 2026, an incident in Austin, Texas, involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) captured attention due to the absence of body camera footage. Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan delivery driver, was shot by an ICE officer while working for DoorDash. The officer was not equipped with a body camera during the encounter.

Garces Perez, under a deportation order according to federal officials, was shot in the upper torso. Protests erupted in Texas in response, demanding transparency and accountability. This event follows President Trump’s intensified enforcement against illegal immigration.

A report from The Atlantic highlighted the lack of body camera footage, raising concerns about the incident. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced earlier that ICE officers would have body cams by the end of September, though it seems this rollout has not reached all officers. The Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the missing body camera.

Following the shooting, Garces Perez’s medical condition became controversial. He was hospitalized and later taken into ICE custody, with the Department alleging he is illegally in the U.S. with a deportation order. Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas noted that Garces Perez later returned to the hospital after experiencing numbness and suspecting the bullet remained lodged in his back.

On Tuesday, Garces Perez was again transferred to ICE’s South Texas Detention Complex in Pearsall, with only Tylenol and ibuprofen for pain management, according to his attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch. She reported that he remains isolated without access to his communication tablet.

Lincoln-Goldfinch filed a habeas petition seeking Garces Perez’s release on constitutional grounds. U.S. District Court Judge Orlando Garcia ordered an in-person hearing for September 30, temporarily blocking deportation until then.