Protesters rally in Austin after ICE shooting, arrests tied to demonstrations – KEYE

Protesters rally in Austin after ICE shooting, arrests tied to demonstrations  KEYE

On Sept. 20, ICE officers stopped Wilber Garcés Pérez in North Austin. Prosecutors allege that, as he drove away, Garcés Pérez struck an officer with his driver’s-side mirror; officers then followed him before an agent shot him. Federal prosecutors last week charged Garcés Pérez with assaulting, resisting, interfering with and impeding a federal officer. His attorney said the bullet had been removed and that he was recovering but remained in pain. Community members met over the weekend to support him, discuss his recovery and call for accountability. At Monday’s courthouse rally, organizers said several people who protested after the shooting had been arrested.

Emilia Figueroa, who organizers said was appearing in court on her own case, said protesters were facing consequences for demonstrating. A woman identifying herself as Autumn said she was arrested Sept. 27 in Pearsall after protesting outside the detention center where Garcés Pérez was held, and learned of a warrant after officers stopped her at a gas station. Organizers also read a statement from India Brookhouser, who said the Texas Department of Public Safety arrested her Sept. 29. She said she was held for four days in Bell County Jail on a misdemeanor riot-participation charge and released on $50,000 bond.