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.
Uriel J. García
Uriel J. García is an immigration reporter based in El Paso. Before joining the Tribune in 2021, he worked at the Arizona Republic where he covered police violence and immigration enforcement. He started his journalism career at the Santa Fe New Mexican where he covered the city's immigrant community and criminal justice issues. Originally from Mexico and a native Spanish speaker, Uriel grew up in Phoenix and graduated from Arizona State University.
To report a tip, contact Uriel on Signal at @ujohnnyg.83
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
Graphics and data reporting
What to know about possible border barriers in Big Bend
The Trump administration has said the remote West Texas region needs measures to stop illegal immigration. But a bipartisan group of elected officials is pushing to halt that plan, especially in the national park.
Posted in
Immigration
Austin man’s wrongful deportation casts scrutiny on Texas’ embrace of ICE partnerships
The federal government let U.S. citizen Brian José Morales García return to Texas on Sunday after deporting him to Mexico following a traffic stop in Central Texas.
Posted in
Immigration
Judge orders witness to Houston ICE shooting released from detention
Daniel Tirado Pantoja, who was a backseat passenger in Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s van when he was shot by ICE officers in July, is the second witness to be ordered released by a federal judge.
Posted in
Immigration
Feds pausing Big Bend border construction while CBP commissioner visits the park
It was not immediately clear how long CBP plans to implement the pause. The Trump administration had announced plans to build an access road and vehicle barriers in the park.
Posted in
Immigration
Migrant kids are often being held in a South Texas detention center five times longer than a court order allows
The nation’s only detention center for families is routinely holding children beyond the 20-day limit, including an Iranian-born “average American kid” who’s been locked up for 123 days and counting.
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Immigration
Feds plan to sell three warehouses near El Paso it bought for migrant detention centers, Congress member says
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar said the government will put the warehouses on the market rather than convert them to house 8,000 immigrants for deportation.
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Immigration
ACLU launches legal claims in 17 states against immigration detention conditions, including Texas
A $10 million claim by Elton Purvis, who was held in Texas for seven months before his deportation, is part of the group’s allegations that immigrants’ medical and other needs were neglected.
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Houston ICE Shooting
Substance found in van after Houston ICE shooting wasn’t drugs, DA and U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia say
The FBI suggested plastic bags in the van contained methamphetamine. The agency hasn’t released official test results.
