ICE Shooting of Immigrant in Texas Under Investigation: What to Know

Texas State Troopers block traffic at the site of a shooting in North Austin on Sep.

20, 2026. —Austin American-Statesman/Hearst Newspapers/Getty Images The Department of Homeland Security’s investigative arm is leading a probe into a federal agent’s shooting of an immigrant from Venezuela in Austin, Texas, on Sunday afternoon.

Protesters immediately gathered at the scene to denounce the latest instance of violence involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, with videos on social media showing them paralyzing traffic.

Texas law enforcement was deployed to the scene to respond and attempt to disperse the gathering , CBS Austin reported, detaining multiple protesters and firing pepper balls into the crowds.

“I’m very angry about this,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, a Democrat, said in a press conference about the shooting, adding that local police were not involved in the incident, which happened during a traffic stop.

Watson said he was not surprised by ICE’s involvement, given “the nature of ICE and the way ICE is doing its business these days.” Watson and other Texas Democrats have also called for independent investigations into the incident.

James Talarico , who’s campaigning for a U.S.

Senate seat, said he was “closely following” the reports and urged a probe that released available footage of the shooting.

“Previous incidents have shown that this agency cannot be trusted to report all the facts,” Talarico said in a statement released to the media.

The District Attorney’s Office in Travis County, which includes Austin, requested to partner with city police in the investigation and for the federal government to cooperate in providing access to evidence.

It added: “As has occurred in other jurisdictions, it is possible that this incident included violations of state law.” Rep.

Greg Casar (D, Texas) wrote a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and acting ICE director David Venturella seeking a congressional briefing on Sept.

28, and asked the agencies to publicly release all body and dash camera footage from federal officers present at the scene and recorded communications between agents before and after the shooting.

Casar and Watson claimed that ICE activity in Austin has increased in recent weeks amid President Donald Trump’s implementation of his strict anti-immigrant agenda.