US judge blocks deportation of DoorDash driver shot by ICE

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the deportation of a Venezuelan man who was shot in the back by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during a vehicle stop in North Austin, Texas. The emergency legal intervention halts any immediate removal proceedings while the case moves forward through the federal courts.

The legal protection was secured through a federal lawsuit filed by immigration lawyer Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch on behalf of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old immigrant from Venezuela. Judge Orlando Garcia scheduled an in-person court hearing, which legally prevents federal authorities from deporting Garces Perez prior to that date. The development introduces a critical judicial hurdle for immigration enforcement officials who had sought to expedite his removal following a final order.

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According to accounts provided by his attorney and synthesized from local reporting, Garces Perez was working as a DoorDash delivery driver when an unmarked SUV sideswiped his blue Toyota Camry. Believing the vehicle was unrelated to law enforcement, he executed a U-turn under a highway underpass to find a safer place to stop. He stated that agents struck his car a second time before exiting and opening fire, lodging a bullet near his clavicle and fracturing the bone. Witnesses near the intersection reported hearing gunshots and observing law enforcement officers detaining the driver before emergency medical services transported him to a trauma center.

Official narratives surrounding the operation diverge sharply. The Department of Homeland Security maintained that Garces Perez was the target of a legitimate vehicle stop and asserted that he lacked legal status, noting that his work permit had expired. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the agency's operational tempo, criticizing public pushback and stating that the agency's mission to remove individuals from local communities will not slow down. Federal officials also rejected claims regarding substandard post-operative care, insisting that detention personnel provided continuous medical monitoring and that he slept on a standard bed rather than a floor.

Controversy has also intensified over the availability of visual evidence. Federal law enforcement sources disclosed that the ICE agent who discharged his weapon was a recent recruit with prior Border Patrol experience but was not wearing an operational body camera at the time, despite agency rollouts designed to equip personnel. While another officer at the scene recorded partial footage, it does not capture the shooting itself. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis confirmed that local authorities were entirely uninvolved in the operation, though the Austin Police Department's Special Investigations Unit and the Texas Rangers launched independent inquiries into the incident.

The fallout has sparked widespread community demonstrations and political friction across Texas. Dozens of protesters gathered near the scene of the shooting, carrying signs demanding that federal immigration officers leave the municipality. Concurrently, Travis County District Attorney José Garza and U.S. Representative Greg Casar formally petitioned federal authorities to halt any removal proceedings, arguing that Garces Perez is an indispensable material witness to a potential state crime and must remain accessible to investigators.

What to Watch Next

• The upcoming federal court hearing ordered by Judge Orlando Garcia, which requires Garces Perez to appear in person.
• Decisions by federal authorities regarding whether they will release unedited body camera and dashcam footage to congressional inquirers and local investigators.
• The progress of the joint inquiry by the Austin Police Department Special Investigations Unit and the Texas Rangers into the officer's use of deadly force.

As legal teams prepare for next week's proceedings, broader discussions surrounding agency accountability and local cooperation continue to reverberate through world coverage of shifting immigration enforcement policies.