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Venezuelan man shot by ICE agents is back in the hospital for paralysis treatment, lawyer says

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The Straits Times. (2026, September 22). Venezuelan man shot by ICE agents is back in the hospital for paralysis treatment, lawyer says. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/venezuelan-man-shot-by-ice-agents-is-back-in-the-hospital-for-paralysis-treatment-lawyer-says

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Straits Times · collected 2026-09-22 · by The Straits Times

Quick Summary

Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan man who was shot by an ICE agent in Austin, Texas, has been readmitted to a hospital for treatment related to paralysis on his left side, according to statements from his lawyer, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch. On Monday night, Perez reported ongoing medical neglect and bleeding while being held in an ICE facility southwest of Austin after the shooting. He claims he was shot without warning or pursuit while sitting in his car following a minor accident with agents who failed to identify themselves. The Department of Homeland Security has not commented further on the incident beyond confirming Perez's illegal status and pending deportation order.
Written by AI on 2026-09-22, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 20, 2026, an ICE officer shot Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a Venezuelan man, during an immigration enforcement operation in Austin, Texas. The shooting occurred near the intersection of Research Boulevard and Anderson Square, where a blue Toyota Corolla was found with bullet holes and damage to its passenger side door. Garces Perez is currently in serious but stable condition at a local hospital after being shot once in the torso.

The incident has sparked demands for an independent investigation and immediate release of body camera footage from ICE officers involved. Rep. Greg Casar, a Texas Democrat, called for accountability if any officer broke the law during the operation. Meanwhile, federal Judge Orlando L. Garcia temporarily blocked Garces Perez's deportation to allow time for further investigation into the shooting.

Garces Perez entered the U.S. legally in December 2023 but was targeted for deportation due to his expired work permit. His supporters argue that he needs urgent surgery to avoid permanent nerve damage, while ICE maintains it will not slow down its operations in Austin.

Written for “Venezuelan Man Shot by ICE in Texas” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 62 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Venezuelan Man Shot by ICE in Texas
Politics · 63 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 8% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Man shot by ICE agents in Texas says he is in detention with bullet in back Same event
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 18 claims Outlet record 66/100
Venezuelan man shot by ICE officer was taken to detention with ‘bullet lodged near his spine’, lawyer claims Same event
Times of India
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 19 claims Outlet record 59/100
Venezuelan man shot by ICE in Texas says he’s in pain and still has bullet in his back Same event
NBC News
Hedges 3 of 39 claims Outlet record 60/100
Man shot by ICE in Texas being interrogated with bullet still in back, attorney says Same event
Washington Examiner
Hedges 2 of 14 claims Outlet record 70/100
Immigrant shot by ICE says he was hauled off to detention center with a bullet still in his back Same event
The Independent
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 5 of 32 claims Outlet record 59/100
Texas man shot by ICE agent detained with bullet still lodged in his body: lawyer Same event
The Hindu
Hedges 2 of 17 claims Outlet record 60/100
Texas man shot in the back by ICE says he's "not doing well," returns to hospital Same event
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 66/100
Venezuelan man shot and injured by ICE agent in Texas, officials say Same event
Euronews
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 23 claims Outlet record 60/100
Advocates call for independent probe after Venezuelan DoorDash driver shot by ICE agent in Texas Same event
CBS News
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 66/100
Austin ICE shooting sparks fight over Venezuelan illegal immigrant's deportation Same event
Fox News
Hedges 1 of 27 claims Outlet record 69/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
13
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
8%
1 of 13 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
66/100
The Straits Times's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
63
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-22 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

The Straits Times
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Topics

Austin DoorDash ICE Texas Venezuelan

Subjects

Perez PERSON · 4× Austin GPE · 3× ICE ORG · 3× Lincoln-Goldfinch PERSON · 2× Venezuelan NORP · 2× DoorDash ORG · 1× Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch PERSON · 1× Texas GPE · 1× Wilber PERSON · 1× Wilber Rafael Garces Perez PERSON · 1×

Narrative

During a news conference on Monday, Lincoln-Goldfinch introduced a man who phoned in as Perez, who said he had been transferred to an ICE processing facility about 130 miles southwest of Austin on Sunday after a few hours in the hospital following the shooting.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-22
🔮 Lincoln-Goldfinch added that she would visit him first thing on Tuesday morning.
2026-09-22 · The Straits Times
Venezuelan man shot by ICE agents is back in the hospital for paralysis treatment, lawyer says · assertive framing

Claims (13 extracted, 1 hedged)

Venezuelan man shot by ICE agents is back in the hospital for paralysis treatment, lawyer says Sept 22 - asserted
lawyer → shoot → treatment
The Venezuelan man who spent Sunday night in an ICE detention center with a bullet lodged in his back after being shot by a federal immigration agent in Austin, Texas, has been taken back to a hospital, according to public statements from his lawyer on Monday night. uncertain
who → spend → night
"I have finally received notice that Wilber was taken back to another hospital to receive treatment regarding paralysis in his left side," wrote Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, the attorney for Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, on her social media accounts. asserted
Goldfinch → receive → accounts
Lincoln-Goldfinch added that she would visit him first thing on Tuesday morning. asserted
she → add → morning
During a news conference on Monday, Lincoln-Goldfinch introduced a man who phoned in as Perez, who said he had been transferred to an ICE processing facility about 130 miles southwest of Austin on Sunday after a few hours in the hospital following the shooting. asserted
he → introduce → shooting
On the Monday call, Perez, 28, said that he was still bleeding and was not receiving adequate medical care. asserted
he → say → care
"I'm not doing well because of the gunshot I received," he said in Spanish, adding that he had to sleep on the floor at the detention center. asserted
he → do → center
He said he had been out working as a DoorDash food delivery driver on Sunday when his car was sideswiped by the agents, who he said did not identify themselves or turn on any sort of lights or siren. asserted
he → say → lights
Perez said that an agent shot him while he was still in his car and that there had been no foot chase. asserted
he → say → car
Austin police said on Sunday that he had run from agents. asserted
he → say → agents
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment on Monday or Tuesday. asserted
Department → respond → Monday
DHS on Sunday released a written statement saying that Perez was in the US illegally and that he had a final order of removal from the country. asserted
he → release → country
They did not provide details on the circumstances of the shooting. asserted
They → provide → shooting
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