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Federal judge blocks deportation of Venezuelan DoorDash driver shot by ICE in Austin as paralysis fears grow

From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026 · last updated 23 September 2026.

Federal judge blocks deportation of Venezuelan DoorDash driver shot by ICE in Austin as paralysis fears grow

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the deportation of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, after a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot him in the back during a traffic stop in Austin, Texas, on Sunday. His attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch filed a federal lawsuit securing the block, with a hearing set for 30 September. Bodycam footage released by Austin police shows Garces Perez slumped in the driver's seat of his Toyota Corolla, grabbing his shoulder in pain moments after the shooting.

Garces Perez says he was delivering a DoorDash order when an unmarked ICE truck sideswiped his car and shot him without warning.

His lawyer says the bullet remains lodged near his spine and he has lost feeling down his entire left side.

ICE moved him to a detention centre 130 miles from Austin with the bullet still inside him, hours after he left hospital.

MoreThe IndependentICE agent who shot DoorDash driver was recruit who wasn’t using bodycam: reportThe IndependentMoments after ICE shoot Venezuelan man seen in bodycam videoThe IndependentWhat to know about a Venezuelan man shot by an ICE officer in TexasFox NewsFederal judge temporarily blocks deportation of illegal immigrant shot by ICE officer in Austin, attorney saysNY PostTexas ICE shooting bodycam released showing Venezuelan illegal immigrantAPJudge sets hearing for Venezuelan man shot by ICE and police in Texas release some video from sceneFox NewsBodycam footage captures moments after ICE shooting of Venezuelan migrant in AustinThe IndependentImmigrant shot by ICE was hauled to detention center with a bullet still in his back
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