Read our feature article “Only Those With the Courage To Fight Have the Courage To Win: Combat and Resist ICE Terror!” here.
On September 26, reports emerged on social media and local news outlets that Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Troopers arrested at least six protesters, including a city council candidate, a week after the combative protest in response to the ICE shooting of DoorDash driver Wilber Garces Perez.
Austin Lawyers Guild (ALG), who is representing some of those arrested, posted a statement on their social media that reads, “At present, it is believed that six individuals have been arrested” on warrants issued by DPS in the days following the protests, all receiving class B misdemeanor riot charges.
According to ALG, DPS targeted those they believed were leaders in the anti-ICE protest. Some of those arrested were questioned about upcoming protests and DPS requested access to their cellphones. ALG emphasized that anyone arrested should never consent to searches of their person or property.
Among those arrested was city council candidate Misael Ramos. Ramos is a member of the Austin chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which has capitalized on the arrest to promote Ramos’ electoral campaign.
Austin DSA posted a graphic combining the images of Ramos and Garces Perez, portraying Ramos as a leader of the combative response to Garces Perez’s shooting. Volunteers with The Worker did not observe Ramos agitating the crowd or having any role in the militant advance against the police on September 20.
Garces Perez has continued to face torture and deprivation while being held at the South Texas Detention Center in Pearsall, Texas. Eleven days after ICE’s attempted murder, he finally received medical attention to remove the bullet lodged near his spine. On September 29, ICE charged him with one count of assaulting a federal officer.
Image: Anti-ICE demonstration in Austin, TX following the ICE shooting of DoorDash driver Wilber Garces Perez. Credit: The Worker.
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