ICE Shoots Austin DoorDash Driver; Work Permit vs. Removal Order Disputed

ICE Officer Shoots DoorDash Driver in Austin; Immigration Status and Work Authorization Disputed

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded a DoorDash delivery driver in North Austin on Sunday, according to city officials and the man’s attorney. The incident, which occurred around 1 p.m. near Anderson Square and Research Boulevard, left 28-year-old Venezuelan national Wilber Rafael Garces Perez with a gunshot wound to the torso. He was treated at Dell Seton Medical Center, listed in serious but stable condition, and later released into ICE custody.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the shooting followed a traffic stop and brief foot pursuit. Austin officers were not part of the ICE operation. A blue Toyota Corolla at the scene showed passenger-side damage and bullet holes. City Council member Mike Siegel said an ICE vehicle rammed the car before the agent fired. Protesters gathered quickly, and Democratic officials including Mayor Kirk Watson and U.S. Rep. Greg Casar demanded an independent investigation and release of body-camera footage.

Attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, representing Garces Perez and his family, said he was making a DoorDash delivery at the time, had lived in Austin about two years, and had no criminal history. She stated that he previously held a valid work permit and, based on information available to her, entered the United States lawfully. His wife, who has legal status, asked him not to work that Sunday but he went out to earn money. The family said they were kept from seeing him at the hospital and did not know his location after he was transferred to ICE. Lincoln-Goldfinch later told reporters she did not know his current immigration status with certainty.

Federal sources offered a different account. Law enforcement and Department of Homeland Security sources told multiple outlets that Garces Perez was in the country without legal status and had a final order of removal. Some reports described the encounter as part of a targeted ICE operation. DHS did not immediately issue a detailed public statement in most coverage.

How a delivery driver can work for DoorDashDoorDash classifies Dashers as independent contractors and requires applicants to demonstrate legal authorization to work in the United States. The company and similar gig platforms typically run background checks through third-party vendors that verify identity and work eligibility, most often using a Social Security number. Applicants also need a valid driver’s license (or equivalent for bike deliveries), vehicle insurance if using a car, and a smartphone.

Immigrants who are not U.S. citizens can legally work for DoorDash if they possess valid work authorization. Common documents include an Employment Authorization Document (EAD, Form I-766), often obtained by people with pending asylum applications (category C08), Temporary Protected Status, humanitarian parole, or certain other categories. Many Venezuelans who arrived in recent years received parole or applied for asylum and were issued EADs, which also allow them to obtain a Social Security number. Platforms generally accept an SSN paired with an unexpired EAD. In some markets DoorDash has accepted an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) plus an EAD, though policies vary by location and can change.

Working without authorization—using another person’s Social Security number, an expired EAD, or no work permit at all—is not permitted and can fail verification or create legal problems for the applicant. If Garces Perez previously held a valid work permit, that document would have allowed him to complete DoorDash onboarding at the time he signed up. A later change in status, such as issuance of a final removal order, would not automatically deactivate an existing Dasher account unless the company performed a new check. Attorney statements that he “previously held a valid work permit” are consistent with how many asylum seekers, parolees, and TPS holders enter gig work; federal claims of a final removal order would indicate that authorization had ended or been superseded by the time of the shooting. The two accounts have not been fully reconciled in public reporting.

DoorDash has not issued a detailed public statement on this specific case in available coverage. Gig platforms are required to verify work authorization at hiring; they are not immigration-enforcement agencies and do not continuously re-check every contractor’s status after activation. 17GEN4.com

Sources  

• Austin American-Statesman: Austin man shot by ICE agent was making DoorDash delivery  

• The New York Times: One Person Shot During Encounter With ICE in Austin  

• KXAN: Austin attorney says ICE shooting victim’s wife ‘devastated,’ kept in dark  

• Axios Austin and CNN/ABC reporting on federal sources regarding removal order

• FlexAssist and similar 2026 guides on gig-work eligibility for immigrants with EADs

• USCIS information on Employment Authorization Documents

ICE Shoots Austin DoorDash Driver; Work Permit vs. Removal Order Disputed

An ICE officer wounded Venezuelan DoorDash driver Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in Austin. His attorney says he had a work permit; federal sources cite a removal order. Gig platforms require valid work authorization such as an EAD to sign up.