James Talarico speaks at a campaign event in San Antonio earlier this year. Credit: Michael Karlis

With the midterms weeks away, Texas Democrats were quick to denounce U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s shooting of an unarmed Venezuelan migrant making a DoorDash delivery Sunday in North Austin.

The shooting comes with just 42 days until the November election, when Democrats appear poised to win back the House and possibly the U.S. Senate, depending on how key races play out. The contest has emerged as a referendum on the unpopular President Donald Trump and policies such as his draconian immigration crackdown.

U.S. Rep. James Talarico, an Austin Democrat running for U.S. Senate, released a statement calling for an independent investigation of the shooting, which wounded migrant Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28.

“Previous incidents have shown that this agency cannot be trusted to report all the facts,” Talarico said. “We need a full, independent investigation that includes the release of any and all available footage. As we seek further information, my prayers are with those impacted and with the Austin community.”

An ICE agent shot Perez after a “small foot pursuit, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis told reporters during a news conference. The migrant was struck by a single bullet in the upper torso.

In posts on social media platform X, Perez’s lawyer, prominent Texas immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, wrote that hospital staff denied her access to her client. In another update, she wrote that the hospital had released Perez into ICE custody, adding that his location and condition are unknown.

In a statement, Department of Homeland Security officials said Perez had a final removal order and had “illegally entered our country under the Biden administration.”

However, Lincoln-Goldfinch maintains that Perez had entered legally as an asylum seeker.

In October 2025, the Trump administration revoked Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants who were previously making their way through the legal process to obtain residency or temporary visas.

“Whatever someone’s immigration status may be, a removal order is not an explanation for a shooting,” Lincoln-Goldfinch tweeted. “The public deserves the facts. His family deserves answers. And Wilber deserves access to his family, his attorney, and appropriate medical care.”

Political Implications

Other prominent Texas Democrats, including Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, joined Talarico in calling for an independent and transparent probe of the shooting.

“While I’m angry and disappointed, I’m not surprised,” Watson said. “This has happened in other cities. With the rogue nature of ICE and the chaos we’re seeing fomented by ICE, there’s no reason to be surprised. Austin residents have a right to know what happened and they have a right to feel safe in their community.”

Watson said the Austin Police Department’s Special Investigation Unit had been deployed and that APD had contacted the Texas Rangers.

State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, an Austin Democrat running against Republican incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott, reiterated Watson’s call for an independent investigation.

“While we closely monitor reports for more information and pray for his full recovery, there must be a full and transparent investigation into what happened,” Hinojosa said. “I reaffirm Mayor Kirk Watson’s call for the ICE agent involved in the shooting to remain in Texas until a full investigation concludes.”

The shooting comes weeks after U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, who represents Austin’s East Side in Congress and is running in Texas’ redrawn 37th Congressional district, held a press conference warning that ICE was ramping up activity in the capital city’s working-class neighborhoods.

In a statement following the shooting, Casar said he was angry that “the horror” has come to Austin.

“Over and over, ICE has shot people and then lied about what happened,” Casar said. “We can see the lies with our own eyes. We will demand truth, transparency and accountability.”

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Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...