ICE agent shoots man in Austin as leaders demand transparency
A federal immigration agent shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, authorities said, in an incident that drew calls for transparency from elected representatives as investigators began looking into what happened.
The shooting is the latest in a series of incidents involving US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, officers, and comes amid the Trump administration's push to carry out its mass deportations agenda. While the administration is no longer cracking down on individual cities, arrests are still taking place.
Mike Siegel, who represents Austin's District 7, said the ICE officer rammed the man's car, got out of his federal vehicle and opened fire at least five times. The shooting happened in the early afternoon on the city's north side. The man was taken to hospital, and Siegel said his condition was not known. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not immediately respond to requests for details.
Local media reported that a dark blue Toyota Corolla was parked under an overpass with damage to its passenger-side door and what appeared to be bullet holes. Siegel said he could see at least two bullet holes. A large law enforcement presence was at the scene, along with a crowd of onlookers. US Representative Greg Casar, who represents parts of Austin, called for transparency as the shooting is investigated. "The horror has come to our city: ICE has shot a person in Austin this morning," Casar wrote on X. "As the facts emerge, I am demanding a full, independent investigation, immediate release of the body camera footage, and accountability for any ICE officer who broke the law."
In July, an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo of Houston after federal agents driving unmarked vehicles pursued him while he was taking his construction crew to a job site. Also in July, 25-year-old Johan Sebastin, a Colombian man, was shot by an ICE officer in Maine. The officer is an Army veteran who has struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood and never should have been given a badge and gun to patrol American streets, several of his close relatives told The Associated Press. The administration's enforcement efforts were also widely condemned last winter after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota.
The Austin shooting has now added to concerns over recent ICE actions, with local leaders seeking more details about the incident, the release of body camera footage and an independent investigation into the officer's conduct.
