The man was shot by a recent ICE recruit who was not wearing a body camera, according to news reports.
Alex Nguyen
Alex Nguyen is a general assignment reporter with a focus on criminal justice. Before joining the newsroom in 2025, she was a breaking news reporter at The Dallas Morning News. She previously was a reporting fellow for the Tribune and a reporting intern at Bloomberg News. A graduate of Columbia University’s Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism, Alex was raised mostly in Vancouver, Canada, and she has reported for various regional and national outlets there. She speaks Vietnamese and conversational Spanish and will be based in Austin.
To report a tip, contact Alex on Signal at @alexnguyen.23
Posted in
Immigration
After ICE shooting, Venezuelan man’s quick release from Austin hospital raises questions
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was discharged after four hours into ICE custody and taken 135 miles to an immigration detention center.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Federal judge orders Texas to air condition all prisons by the end of 2029
High temperatures violate the Constitution’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment, the judge ruled. Texas will appeal.
Posted in
Immigration
Migrants who planted roots in Texas are being swept up in the immigration crackdown. Here are five of their stories.
Some detained Texans were pursuing pathways to stay here legally. None had criminal convictions.
Posted in
Immigration
Venezuelan man shot by ICE in Austin said he tried to pull over before officers fired at him
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez legally entered the country in 2024 via the CBP One app and applied for asylum, his attorneys said. But he missed a court hearing after the notice went to the wrong address.
Posted in
Immigration
ICE officer shoots, injures man in Austin, officials say
The shooting in Austin, which injured Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, came more than two months after an ICE officer fatally shot a man in Houston.
Posted in
Immigration
Minnesota drops extradition lawsuit against Abbott after ICE officer’s arrest
Minnesota prosecutors accused Christian Castro of injuring a Venezuelan man and lying about what led to the shooting. He also faces federal charges.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Several Texas Republicans condemn Bo French’s racist posts calling Asian students at UT a “problem”
French, the Republican nominee for a statewide position regulating Texas’ oil and gas industry, posted a photo of University of Texas students, while decrying “foreigners” displacing Americans.
Posted in
Environment
Rain drops needed relief on North Texas wildfire that’s been burning for two weeks
Storms swept over the more than 90,400 acres still burning in Palo Pinto and Jack counties. Containment increased to 76%, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas prisons seek $298 million for air conditioning. That’s a fraction of what’s needed.
It would cost $1.5 billion to fully cool all prisons, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice estimates.
