Bullet holes marked a car in Austin, Texas, on Sunday. The scene was documented by Austin Councilmember Mike Siegel. A federal immigration officer shot and injured a man in Austin, according to local authorities.
Councilmember Mike Siegel, speaking to NPR near the site of the incident, noted that the man’s vehicle had at least two bullet holes on the passenger side. Photos confirmed this observation. Another individual, unharmed and in civilian attire, was handcuffed at the location, as shown in video evidence provided by Siegel.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson reported that the injured person is in serious but stable condition. He addressed the incident at a press conference, expressing disappointment. “This is a terrible incident that we were hoping to avoid in our community,” he stated.
Siegel expressed a desire for a thorough investigation. “My hope today is that we can investigate what happened, and if an (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officer committed a crime that they will be fully prosecuted,” he emphasized. The exact cause of the shooting remains unclear as the Department of Homeland Security did not comment.
The event drew protests from community members at the scene. This shooting is one of several recent incidents involving ICE agents that turned violent. Mayor Watson commented on similar events in other cities like Chicago and Minneapolis, linked to large immigration enforcement operations by the Department of Homeland Security.
Texas state entities have collaborated closely with federal authorities on immigration matters, notably since President Trump took office last year. Congressman Greg Casar, representing Austin, called for an independent probe into the shooting. He accused ICE of dishonesty in past cases, citing the earlier Minneapolis incident involving Renee Good.
“Over and over, ICE has shot people and then lied about what happened,” Casar remarked.
Casar referenced video evidence disproving ICE’s claim that Good attempted to run over agents. He expressed a commitment to demanding transparency and accountability.
This Austin shooting marks at least the second such event in Texas this year. In July, ICE agents in Houston fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old father, during a misdirected traffic stop. Earlier this year, Ruben Ray Martinez was the first person killed by immigration agents since the start of President Trump’s second term, in South Padre Island, on March 15, 2025.