Wilber Garces, The Venezuelan migrant injured by shots from an agent of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE)was transferred this Monday from the Pearsall detention center to a hospital, as confirmed to EFE by his lawyer’s office.
Another migrant held in the same center told Garcés’ lawyer, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, that guards at the facility attacked the 28-year-old Venezuelan and said he was losing sensation on the left side of his body.
It is still unknown to which medical center he was transferred and what treatment he is receiving, according to Fabiana Meléndez, spokesperson for the lawyer.
Garcés, who has lived in the United States since 2024 and has a work permit, was intercepted on Sunday afternoon by ICE agents while delivering DoorDash orders in his car.
According to Garcés himself by telephone from the detention center, during a press conference organized by his lawyer in Austin, The officers crashed one of the sides of his car and shot him when he tried to move it to park before getting out..
After the incident, emergency services transported him to a medical center in Austin on Sunday, but he was discharged a few hours later without surgery to remove a bullet lodged in his back.
Thence, Immigration authorities took him to the Pearsall detention center, where he remained until being transferred back to a hospital.
After the press conference, and in what the lawyer considers an act of retaliation, the center’s guards “assaulted him and treated him very badly,” according to Fabiana Meléndez, spokesperson for Lincoln-Goldfinch, told EFE.
“We know, from the other detainee, that at some point They put a chain around his waist, handcuffed him to a chair and took him to a medical center.“added Melendez.
Democratic Congressman Greg Casar, who represents Texas in the House of Representatives, confirmed Garcés’ transfer to the hospital on social media and called it a “positive first step.”
“We now hope that he makes a full recovery, reunite with his family and be able to tell law enforcement the full story of how ICE shot him in the back“he added.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not immediately respond to a request from EFE for information about the case.
Garcés entered the United States in 2024 through the CBP One application, a program that was active during the government of former President Joe Biden (2021-2025) and allowed migrants to request an appointment to appear at a port of entry on the border and request asylum in the country.
The Venezuelan had a deportation order issued in absentia by an immigration judge. According to his lawyer, Garcés did not attend the hearing because the letter with the notification arrived at an old address, even though he had informed the government of his change of residence.
These types of failures have skyrocketed during the Trump administration: so far this year, Judges have ordered the expulsion of some 281,867 migrants who did not show up for their hearings90,288 of them with asylum applications, according to official data.
