Austin Training on Civil Rights Legal Actions to Take Place October 8-9
Yesterday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attempted another extrajudicial execution on U.S. streets, ramming into the car of DoorDash driver Wilber Rafael Garces Perez and then shooting him, simply to enforce civil immigration laws.
Said Lauren Bonds, Executive Director of the National Police Accountability Project,
Whether it’s Austin, Houston, or Biddeford, Maine, ICE agents are starting car chases and firing into vehicles. Law enforcement should never take these actions but especially not to enforce civil immigration laws. Fortunately Mr. Garces Perez survived, but he could have been killed. This has become a nationwide crisis that puts everyone at risk. Congress must step in immediately and take control.
ICE enforces civil laws, and deportation orders issued by civil immigration courts. The idea that chasing someone through the streets of a community, and shooting them, to enforce a paperwork issue is absurd. And, it makes our entire community less safe. Congress needs to take ICE’s guns and turn them into a regular civil enforcement agency, like the IRS. That’s the only way to make these shootings and killings stop.
After Mr. Garces Perez was shot, news reports indicate he was taken to the hospital and discharged a couple hours later. Since then, his attorney states, neither she nor his wife have been told how he is doing or even where he is.
Said Bonds:
We demand an independent investigation into the shooting of Mr. Garces Perez, including a stop to his deportation and access to crime victim protections under the law, as well as full accountability for the ICE officers and leadership involved. The federal government must also tell Mr. Garces Perez’ family and his lawyer where he is and provide an update on his medical condition. Leaving them in the dark is extraordinarily cruel and inhumane.
Austin is in pain and still seeking answers and accountability over the death of Anthoniell Williams II at the hands of Austin police. Mr. Garces Perez’ shooting was carried out by federal agents, but there’s a throughline here that we cannot ignore — a law enforcement system that sees Black and brown people’s lives as expendable. The way Austin police handle the investigation into Mr. Garces Perez’ shooting is going to be under a spotlight.
We can’t trust the Trump administration to investigate the shooting or treat Mr. Garces Perez with dignity. They are in a rush to deport him so they can’t tell anyone what happened. At this moment, we need local law enforcement to investigate this crime with transparency and thoroughness and show that they are on the community’s side.