The ICE Officer in Austin Wasn’t Wearing a Body Cam

T he ICE officer who shot a Venezuelan man last weekend in Austin, Texas, was a recent hire who was not wearing his body camera, three officials at the Department of Homeland Security with knowledge of the incident told me.

The officer, who has not been publicly identified, was hired last year, according to two of the officials, but he previously worked for another federal law-enforcement agency, one of the officials said.

The officials were not authorized to discuss the investigation into the shooting, which left Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez with a bullet lodged in his upper torso, according to his attorney.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have rushed to distribute body-worn cameras to officers since the fatal shootings in July of a Mexican construction contractor in Texas and a Colombian delivery driver in Maine.

Officers making arrests are required to have the cameras at all times.

The agency has directed officers to activate the devices prior to engaging in enforcement activity, the three officials said, and ICE instructs them to stop recording only when the incident has safely concluded.

Officers who do not follow these instructions are required to submit a written statement to their supervisors and could face possible disciplinary action, the three officials said.

DHS and ICE public-affairs officials did not immediately respond to questions about the incident in Austin and whether the officer will face consequences.

On Sunday, the officer was working with a partner who was driving in a separate vehicle.

That second officer had a body-worn camera that was turned on, two officials told me.

The officers were checking license plates using a system that helps them find targets for arrest using commercial databases and federal immigration files.

When they ran the plates from the blue Toyota Corolla driven by Garcés Pérez, the officers saw he had an outstanding deportation order from an immigration judge.

The ICE officers, who were driving unmarked vehicles, attempted to pull Garcés Pérez over, but he drove away, nearly striking one of the officers, according to one of the DHS officials.

The official said the incident was recorded by the body camera of the ICE officer’s partner.