September 22, 2026

Castro Statement on Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez

NEW YORK, NY — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement on the ICE shooting of asylum seeker Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez:

“Despite losing movement on his left side and having a bullet lodged next to his spine, ICE has forced Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez out of the hospital and back to the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, Texas. It is nothing more than a prison.

Congressman Greg Casar and I will visit him tomorrow to check on his condition and demand his release. Wilber came to the United States legally. He had work permits and was an asylum seeker. None of this should have ever happened.”