Texas – “ICE shot Wilber Perez in the back. Now, Wilber can’t move the left side of his body. How does paralyzing a DoorDash driver make anyone more safe?” Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico said Wednesday as he criticized the shooting of a Venezuelan DoorDash driver by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Austin.
Talarico made the comments in a post on X after the Sept. 20 shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, who was working as a DoorDash delivery driver in North Austin when he was shot by an ICE agent. Perez has remained in federal immigration custody with a bullet lodged in his back, according to his attorney and multiple news reports.
In a separate post the previous day, Talarico said Perez “came to this country legally” and had no criminal record before accusing ICE of shooting him while he was working.
“Wilber came to this country legally. He has no criminal record. An ICE agent shot him anyway,” Talarico wrote. “He slept on a prison cell floor with a bullet still lodged in his back. He can’t move the left side of his body. This isn’t law enforcement. It’s lawlessness.”
Talarico repeated those points in a video interview, saying ICE had promised to focus its enforcement efforts on criminals and questioning why an individual working as a delivery driver had been shot.
“ICE said they would go after criminals, but Wilber Perez came to this country legally, he has no criminal record, yet ICE agents shot him in the back while he was doing his job making food deliveries,” Talarico said.
The circumstances surrounding Perez’s immigration status and the shooting have been disputed. Perez’s attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, has said he entered the United States in 2024 seeking asylum and had authorization to work. The Department of Homeland Security, however, has said Perez entered the country illegally and was subject to a final order of removal.
According to reporting by Reuters, Perez said ICE agents sideswiped his vehicle while he was making a DoorDash delivery. He said the agents did not initially identify themselves and that he was shot while still in his car. Austin police have provided a different account of aspects of the encounter, while the circumstances surrounding the use of force remain under investigation.
The shooting happened near Anderson Square and U.S. 183 in North Austin. Austin-Travis County EMS said paramedics found Perez suffering from a gunshot wound to the torso and transported him to Dell Seton Medical Center in serious but stable condition.
Perez was later transferred into ICE custody, per reports. His attorney said he was taken back to a hospital after experiencing continued pain and was subsequently returned to an immigration detention facility in Pearsall, about 130 miles southwest of Austin.
His medical treatment while in custody has also become a central issue. Lincoln-Goldfinch said Perez had a bullet lodged near his spine and complained of severe pain. Court filings cited by news organizations said he was forced to sleep on a floor at an ICE processing facility. DHS has disputed aspects of the allegations concerning his medical care, saying he was receiving medical attention.
The incident has prompted criticism from Texas and Austin officials and sparked protests in the city. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson called for transparency and an independent investigation, while other officials have also questioned the circumstances of the shooting.
A federal judge has also temporarily blocked Perez’s immediate removal from the United States. KUT reported that the judge ordered Perez to appear at a hearing in San Antonio on Sept. 30, while his attorney seeks to prevent his deportation as the shooting is investigated. The Travis County District Attorney’s Office also requested that federal authorities halt removal proceedings while its investigation continues.
For Talarico, the shooting has become another point of criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies as he campaigns for the U.S. Senate. He argued that the incident raises questions about how ICE is using force and whether the agency’s enforcement actions are consistent with its stated focus on criminals.
“How does paralyzing a DoorDash driver make anyone more safe?” Talarico said in his video, referring to Perez’s reported loss of movement on the left side of his body.
The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing, with federal and local authorities examining the circumstances of the encounter while Perez remains in immigration custody.
