Article by Jessica Corbett republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
“We must end the terror in our communities created by the fascist administration in Washington and here in Texas—I will never stop standing up and speaking out for our community.”
Misael Ramos, a democratic socialist running for City Council in Austin, was arrested by Texas troopers on Saturday morning for protesting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement after an ICE agent shot Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez in the state’s capital.
“At approximately 8:50 am this morning, two neighbors witnessed several state troopers, including many in unmarked vehicles, approach Misael while he was walking his dog and proceed to detain him,” his campaign said on social media. “They never showed him a warrant for his arrest, but proceeded to arrest him anyway.”
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The Travis County Sheriff’s Office website shows that the 40-year-old candidate for District 1 was booked at the county jail shortly after that and charged with a Class B misdemeanor for “riot participation.” His campaign said the charge appears to be “related to his participation in the protest last Sunday at the site of Wilber’s shooting by ICE.”
The Austin American-Statesman reported that the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) could not be reached for comment.
“That these officers felt emboldened to do this to me, as a candidate on the ballot, speaks volumes to the level of impunity they feel to do this to our neighbors, who are living in fear of these kinds of abductions every day,” Ramos said in a statement from jail. “We must end the terror in our communities created by the fascist administration in Washington and here in Texas—I will never stop standing up and speaking out for our community.”
ABC affiliate KVUE reported that “at least four people were arrested by DPS and the Austin Police Department during Sunday’s demonstration, including for charges of rioting, obstructing a highway, resisting arrest, and assault on a peace officer. Ramos’ campaign said additional arrests have been made on DPS warrants throughout the week.”
Ramos’ campaign held a Saturday afternoon press conference outside the jail with representatives from various organizations, including the Austin chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)—which has endorsed him—as well as the Austin Lawyers Guild and Texas State Employees Union.
“People have a constitutional right to gather, speak, protest, and criticize the government,” George Lobb, an attorney and spokesperson for the Austin Lawyers Guild, said in a statement ahead of that event. “Arresting someone does not establish that they committed a crime, and pretrial conditions must comply with the Constitution.”
Ramos was released from jail during the press conference, eliciting cheers from the crowd gathered outside. He made his way to the podium, hugging audience members, and began by thanking everyone who “spoke up” and “spoke out” on Saturday, including a neighbor who recorded his arrest and notified people he asked her to contact.
“This should not be happening on our streets,” but “this is why I fight,” the candidate declared, reiterating that he was approached while walking his dog—which one officer threatened to shoot—and never shown a warrant. “Thank you again, and let’s keep fighting.”
The crowd broke out into chants of “this is what solidarity looks like,” and “Fuck ICE, ICE OUT.”
Protests have been held in Texas since an ICE agent shot Garcés Pérez during a traffic stop last Sunday while he was making DoorDash deliveries. A federal judge has temporarily barred the President Donald Trump’s administration from deporting the 28-year-old Venezuelan, who remains in ICE custody, despite having a bullet lodged in his back, near his spine.
Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar (D-Texas), whose district includes Austin, visited Garcés Pérez at a detention center in Pearsall on Wednesday. Afterward, according to The New York Times, the congressman told reporters that a doctor has advised the immigrant to have surgery to remove the bullet.
“If Wilber and his wife decide that he needs to go through his surgery, then ICE needs to expedite his care,” said Casar. “I am making it very clear to every part of the federal government that ICE needs to take the medical care of Wilber Garcés extremely seriously.”
Since returning to office last year, Trump has deployed ICE in cities across the United States as part of his mass detention and deportation campaign. Members of the agency and Customs and Border Protection have shot immigrants and US citizens alike—some fatally—and violated the rights of numerous others. Additionally, over 50 people have died in ICE custody.
Article by Jessica Corbett republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
