Congress Demands Probe After ICE Detains Man With Bullet Near Spine

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) detailed how agents in an unmarked SUV sideswiped Perez’s vehicle before shooting him through the windshield as he attempted to pull over. Despite the severity of the injury, Perez was discharged from the hospital within hours and transferred to the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall. Castro and Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) spent Monday trying to secure access to the facility, where reports indicated Perez was forced to sleep on the floor without adequate pain medication.

Perez’s attorney, Kate Goldfinch-Lincoln, stated that a fellow detainee reported guards handling her client roughly shortly before he lost sensation in his limbs. With a bullet still lodged near his spine, the treatment has drawn fierce condemnation from Capitol Hill. Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico labeled the incident an act of "lawlessness," while Rep. Maxwell Frost called for accountability, describing the agency's conduct as a "regime of cruelty." Perez, who arrived in the U.S. two years ago with a work permit, is now receiving medical attention as his legal team seeks further clarity on his condition.