MSNBC’s Morning Joe criticized the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement after an ICE officer shot 28-year-old Venezuelan delivery driver Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez in Austin on Sept. 20. DHS says Pérez was in the U.S. unlawfully, a claim his attorney disputes. Pérez was hospitalized and later placed in ICE custody with a bullet lodged in his back; his lawyer has filed a federal lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent removal. A judge ordered Pérez to appear in court on Sept. 30, and he cannot be deported before that hearing.
Morning Joe Condemns Trump Officials After ICE Officer Shoots Venezuelan Delivery Driver
Photo Credit: Noam Galai / Getty Images
On Sept. 20 in Austin, an ICE officer shot 28-year-old Venezuelan DoorDash driver Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, sparking renewed criticism of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement on MSNBC's Morning Joe.
During the Sept. 23 broadcast, host Mika Brzezinski asked:
She framed Pérez's case as part of a broader pattern of force by federal immigration agents and urged viewers to focus on the people who have been gunned down on American streets by government officers."When will the ICE shootings stop, given that there was one just days ago?"
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Pérez was in the United States unlawfully; that characterization has been disputed by his attorney. NBC News reported that Pérez was hospitalized after the shooting and that authorities placed him into immigration custody roughly four hours later. He was transferred to the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, Texas, and remains detained with a bullet lodged in his back.
Pérez's immigration attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, has filed a federal lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order to block his removal from the United States. A judge ordered Pérez to appear in person on Sept. 30; he cannot be deported before that hearing.
Broader Context
The incident follows several other deadly encounters involving federal immigration agents this year. In July 2026, an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Texas. Earlier in the year, on Jan. 7, an ICE officer fatally shot 37-year-old Renée Nicole Good in Minneapolis; Good was a U.S. citizen and a mother of three. On Jan. 24, federal immigration agents also shot and killed 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
This report summarizes coverage from MSNBC and NBC News and includes statements from the Department of Homeland Security and Pérez’s legal team. The original post, "Morning Joe Calls Out Donald Trump Officials After Another ICE Shooting," first appeared on Reality Tea.
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