ICE Recruit Not Wearing Body Camera Shot DoorDash Driver in Austin, Reports Say

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who shot 28-year-old Venezuelan DoorDash driver Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez in Austin, Texas, was reportedly a recent recruit and was not wearing his assigned body-worn camera at the time, multiple officials told reporters.

What Happened

Garces Pérez was shot once while making deliveries on Sunday. The Austin Police Department, which responded to the scene, has released footage showing the driver's arrest. Officials who spoke to The Atlantic and NBC News said a second ICE agent's body camera captured parts of the encounter, but the agent who fired was not wearing his camera.

The ICE agent who shot Venezuelan man Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez (pictured) in Texas was not wearing a body camera, according to reports (Reuters)

Officials' Accounts and Footage

Sources told The Atlantic the shooter was hired last year and previously worked with another federal law enforcement agency. NBC News reported the agent had been issued a body camera but was not wearing it during the incident. Federal policy requires ICE officers to activate body-worn cameras before enforcement actions and to continue recording until operations conclude.

Victim's Account and Medical Condition

At a press conference, Garcés Pérez — speaking by phone through a translator — said he had made a U-turn and was trying to park when officers rammed his car and shot him in the back of the neck. His attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, says the bullet remains lodged in his body and that he was returned from an ICE facility to a hospital after experiencing difficulty lifting his arm.

Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, Garcés Pérez's attorney, says that her client entered the country legally (AFP/Getty)

"Before we hear anything from ICE about 'we pulled him over' or 'he was fleeing' or 'he was aggressive,' our response is: 'We won't believe you until you show us your body cam footage, show us your dash cam footage.' Otherwise nobody believes you,' Lincoln-Goldfinch wrote on X.

Immigration Status and Legal Issues

Lincoln-Goldfinch says Garcés Pérez lawfully entered the U.S. after inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and was issued a work permit. DHS, however, told media outlets that the work permit expired in 2025. The attorney also says a deportation order was issued in absentia after a hearing notice was sent to the wrong address.

Investigation and Broader Context

DoorDash told NBC News it is investigating the shooting. Austin Police Department footage of the arrest has circulated among local authorities and news outlets. This incident follows other high-profile encounters involving ICE agents, including the fatal shooting of Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE officer in Houston earlier this year; DHS has said Salgado Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle in that case.

The bullet is still in Garcés Pérez's body, his attorney says. This footage was taken by an Austin Police Department officer's body camera (AP)

Crackdowns on migration enforcement have been a prominent feature of the current administration's domestic policy. Government data analyzed by The Associated Press and the Deportation Data Projects reported that ICE made 49,571 arrests in July alone. DHS has also said it received about 220,000 applications to join ICE this year and reported roughly 12,000 new agents deployed nationwide.

Local and federal authorities, as well as DoorDash, have been contacted for comment. The investigation is ongoing.