Surveillance Video Shows ICE Chase Preceding Austin Migrant Shooting

New surveillance footage shows federal law enforcement vehicles chasing a Venezuelan migrant in Austin, Texas, shortly before he was shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the authenticity of the video, which shows at least two vehicles with sirens blaring pursuing a speeding car driven by 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez.

Garces Perez, who was shot by an ICE officer, was subsequently arrested and placed in detention. According to his attorney, officers in an unmarked vehicle attempted to force his client off the road while he was working as a DoorDash driver. She claimed Garces Perez was chased, sideswiped, shot in the back of the neck, and then pulled from his car.

However, evidence from law enforcement contests parts of this account. The surveillance footage does not show apparent damage to Garces Perez's car. Additionally, bodycam video from Austin police officers who responded to the scene shows officers assisting him out of the vehicle, contradicting the attorney's assertion that he was pulled out.

Garces Perez is being held in an ICE detention facility infirmary, described by his attorney as remaining "gravely ill" with a bullet still lodged in his body. His attorney has called for restored communication privileges and for Garces Perez to be returned to a hospital for appropriate medical care.

The incident has drawn criticism from some Democratic lawmakers, with critics labeling ICE as a "rogue" organization. U.S. Representative Greg Casar, D-Texas, visited Garces Perez at the ICE detention facility and criticized the agency's handling of the situation, stating that ICE was attempting to shift blame without releasing evidence.