Austin Council Candidate Arrested Following Protest Against ICE

The 40-year-old District 1 candidate was booked at the Travis County jail on a charge of participating in a riot. His campaign stated that the arrest, which involved multiple troopers in unmarked vehicles, proceeded without the presentation of a warrant. Ramos, who was released later that afternoon, described the encounter as an act of intimidation, noting that an officer threatened to shoot his dog during the detention.

The arrest stems from a demonstration held last Sunday at the site where Garcés Pérez was shot during a traffic stop. Local reporting indicates that at least four individuals have been arrested by state and local police in connection with the event on charges ranging from rioting to assaulting a peace officer. George Lobb of the Austin Lawyers Guild criticized the legal handling of the protesters, asserting that arrests do not equate to criminal guilt and that constitutional rights to assembly must be protected.

Meanwhile, the situation surrounding Garcés Pérez remains critical. The 28-year-old Venezuelan, who was working as a DoorDash driver when he was shot, remains in ICE custody with a bullet lodged near his spine. While a federal judge has temporarily blocked his deportation, Representative Greg Casar has demanded that the federal government expedite necessary medical surgery for the detainee. The incident has intensified local opposition to the current federal administration’s increased reliance on ICE for mass detention and deportation efforts across Texas.