ICE Shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez
Lynn Tramonte, the author of "Worst of the Worst: 152 Sexually and Physically Abusive ICE and Border Agents; Implications for U.S. Communities and Actions Needed from Congress," just released a new video about the ICE car chase and shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in Austin. Watch it on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
While Mr. Garces Perez did not die, he could have. The agent who shot him after ramming his car showed no regard for his life — all to enforce a civil law. Garces Perez was quickly released from the hospital but as of this writing, neither his wife nor his attorney know how he is or even where he is.
In the video, Tramonte says; "You don't kill people over deportation orders. Those are civil processes. You can't execute somebody on the streets of the United States over a deportation order. And I'm so tired of Congress letting this happen. I do not want to hear calls for more training for ICE officers. I don't want to hear it. That's not what we need. What we need is to take their guns. ICE officers enforcing civil laws should not have guns."
She explains this point is further here and in "Worst of the Worst" report, which includes the demand to take ICE's guns and make their role a desk job, plus other emergency recommendations for Congress.
In an earlier video, Tramonte also explained how chasing people on American streets in unmarks cars is a tactic used by criminals, one that she and other people were taught to flee from when learning how to drive.
"Women are taught [that] if somebody's coming at your car, you drive away. If somebody's trying to pull you over and they've got lights in their car on the inside, don't stop. If people are coming at you with masks … did you guys watch that video of Rumeysa Ozturk getting kidnapped off the streets? I mean, that's our nightmare. When we walk outside, we've got our elbows out and our keys in our hands. We are taught to protect ourselves, and ICE is using the tactics of criminals to arrest people," she said.
The idea that someone driving for DoorDash is going to suddenly pull over when they see unmarked cars behind them flashing internal lights goes against common sense, Tramonte explained again in her latest video. Instead, Mr. Garces Perez' car was rammed by one unmarked vehicle, and then he was shot. When an ICE agent opened his car door and he fell to the ground, they handcuffed him. "Congress, get control," says Tramonte.
