Demand Independent Oversight of ICE After Austin Shooting

Congress needs to establish independent oversight of ICE now. What happened to Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in Austin on September 20 is not an isolated incident — it is a pattern. ICE agents shot this 28-year-old DoorDash driver in the torso, then transferred him to a detention facility over 100 miles away with a bullet still in his back and no pain medication. He is now facing paralysis. This is the third ICE shooting in Texas alone since January. A Mexican man was fatally shot during a traffic stop in Houston in July. Two American citizen teenagers were beaten by ICE agents in Alamo this month. ICE officer Christian Castro was charged with lying about shooting a Venezuelan man in Minnesota and is walking free. On-duty ICE and CBP agents have shot at least 20 people, eight fatally, under this administration. DHS has still not released investigative findings in the Minneapolis shootings. There is no accountability, no transparency, and no consequences. LULAC is right: no federal agency gets to operate as a secret police force above the law. Vote to create a fully independent oversight body for ICE, and ensure any agent who violates constitutional rights faces investigation and prosecution. My community is watching, and so are the polls.