[20260929-002]: Support for the Family and Community Affected by the September 20, 2026 ICE-Involved Shooting in Austin — original pdf

Recommendation

RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission Recommendation Number: [20260929-002]: Support for the Family and Community Affected by the September 20, 2026 ICE-Involved Shooting in Austin Date of Approval: September 29, 2026 Recommendation: The Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission recommends that Austin City Council take immediate action to support our community member, Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, his family, and the broader Austin immigrant community following the September 20, 2026, shooting of Mr. Garces Perez by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in North Austin. The Commission calls on Austin City Council to ensure access to medical care, legal support, transparency, and community safety resources for those affected, and to advocate for full accountability and an independent investigation into the incident. Description of Recommendation to Council: ● Direct City resources and staff, where legally permissible, to connect Mr. Garces Perez's family and legal counsel with available victim support services, translation and interpretation assistance, and mental health resources. ● Formally request that federal authorities, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE, ensure Mr. Garces Perez receives immediate and adequate medical care for his injuries, and that he is not deported before a thorough, independent investigation into the shooting is completed, including an explanation for the lack of medical treatment. ● Support Austin Police Department's (APD) independent investigation into the incident and request that City Council receive regular public updates on the investigation's findings and any related body camera, dashcam, or witness video evidence. ● Request that City Council Members whose districts are directly affected by this incident, including Council Members Chito Vela (District 4) and Mike Siegel (District 7), work together on all outcomes related to this incident, given that the affected area sits along the seam between their districts. ● Request that the City of Austin and Travis County, including elected officials and executive staff, do everything within their power to ensure all facts of this case are shared publicly and are made language-accessible in at least English and Spanish. ● Call for full accountability for this incident, including ensuring the federal agent involved does not leave the state so that he may be questioned, publicly identify the federal agent by name, and that all relevant body camera footage is turned over to local authorities. ● Call on APD to prioritize peaceful de-escalation strategies and to uphold the constitutional right to assembly during public protests related to this incident. ● Direct the City Manager's Office to coordinate with community organizations, neighborhood associations, immigrant rights groups, and consular representatives to provide outreach, legal referrals, and safety information to residents of North Austin and Austin's broader immigrant community, who have expressed heightened fear following this incident. ● Encourage City Council to reaffirm the separation between APD operations and federal immigration enforcement activities, and to communicate clearly to residents that APD was not involved in this shooting. ● Request that City Council send a formal communication to Texas' congressional delegation and relevant federal agencies expressing the City's concern about the pattern of ICE-involved shootings in Texas highlighting the direct public safety risk that an ICE presence poses to our community, recommending that ICE cease operations in Austin and the need for accountability and transparency. ● Allocate or identify funding, as appropriate, to support community vigils, mental health resources, and legal aid clinics serving residents impacted by this incident and similar immigration enforcement actions. ● ● Increase transparency to the Austin community regarding ICE involved shootings and activity in the City of Austin, including potential threats to community safety. Increase outreach and training for Know Your Rights workshops across Austin communities. ● The City Council and City Manager’s office should mandate regular public reporting on any instances where city resources are used in connection with federal immigration authorities. Rationale: On Sunday, September 20, 2026, Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan national working as a DoorDash delivery driver, was shot by an ICE officer in North Austin during an immigration enforcement operation. Mr. Garces Perez suffered a gunshot wound to the torso and was transported to Dell Seton Medical Center before being taken to the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, more than 100 miles from Austin. His attorney has raised serious concerns regarding delayed and inadequate medical care, including reports that he was held without a bed and without the bullet removed from his back. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and Police Chief Lisa Davis have confirmed that Austin Police were not involved in the shooting and have committed to an independent investigation. The North Austin Civic Association (NACA), whose neighborhood includes the site of the shooting, has stated that ICE presence in the area has notably increased in recent weeks, creating an environment of fear and tension within the community. Various community organizations have already publicly called for accountability, transparency, language-accessible public information, safer streets, and de-escalation practices from both federal and local law enforcement, reflecting the concerns of residents most directly affected by this incident. This shooting is at least the third incident involving immigration agents in Texas since the start of the current administration's immigration enforcement operations, reflecting a broader pattern of concern raised by local and federal elected officials, legal advocates, neighborhood associations, and community members. The Commission believes it is essential for the City of Austin to affirm its commitment to the safety, dignity, and well-being of all residents, provide meaningful support to the family and community affected, and advocate for transparency and accountability in the investigation of this incident. Motioned By: Commissioner Morales Seconded By: Commissioner Ramos Vote: 7-0 For: Chair Galvan, Vice Chair Castañeda, Commissioners Flores, Morales, Perales, Ramos and Ruiz Absent: Commissioner Afifi Attest: Nekaybaw Watson Nekaybaw Watson, Staff Liaison