NEWS: After Detention Visit, Casar Says Man Shot by ICE Still Has Bullet in His Body, Needs Surgery

Image September 23, 2026 Press Release SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – Today, Congressman Greg Casar (TX-35) visited Wilber Rafael Garces Perez at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, three days after Garces Perez was shot by a federal immigration officer in North Austin. Staff members from the office of Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) joined the visit. Casar reported that Garces Perez saw a specialist for the first time today, and that the specialist said he needs surgery to remove the bullet still lodged in his body. Casar inspected the wound where the bullet entered Garces Perez's back, just below his neck, and saw heavy bruising across his chest. Garces Perez told Casar the following: He was discharged from the hospital within hours of the shooting, without speaking to his physician. He did not learn the bullet was still inside him until more than a day after the shooting. He spent his first night in a processing facility with no bed, in his hospital gown, cold and in intense pain. He finally received stronger pain medication by injection just one hour before the scheduled congressional visit. “I saw the conditions of Wilber’s injuries, and just like anybody that had been shot three days ago, he needs a doctor — not a deportation or a detention center,” said Congressman Casar (D-Texas). “My message to ICE is very clear: release Wilber from detention to get him the medical care he desperately needs.” “ICE's treatment of Wilber amounts to torture. After being shot in the back, he has received next to no medical care — despite being in excruciating pain and losing movement on his left side. He should be in a hospital, not held in isolation at the South Texas Immigration Processing Center,” said Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-Texas). “He had permission to work in the U.S. and was delivering for DoorDash to support his family. Wilber must be released into medical care immediately. There must be an independent investigation, and the officers who shot him in the back must be held accountable. An agency that tortures a man like this should be disbanded.” Casar called for a full, transparent investigation into the shooting by local, state, and federal law enforcement. The agents from the shooting scene are scheduled to be interviewed tomorrow, and local law enforcement has requested to be included. That request has not been fulfilled, and Casar called for the federal government to cooperate fully with local law enforcement. Casar also called for the release of body camera and dash camera footage and answers on why Garces Perez was removed from the hospital. Casar has also requested a briefing from DHS Secretary Mullin by Monday, September 28. ### Congressman Greg Casar represents Texas’s 35th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which runs down I-35 from East Austin to Hays County to the West Side of San Antonio. A labor organizer and son of Mexican immigrants, Casar serves as the Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for the 119th Congress. He also serves on the Committee on Education and Labor and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability. Issues : Immigrant Rights