AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas city council candidate was arrested Saturday morning on a misdemeanor charge of “participating in a riot,” a week after participating in a protest against the bill. shooting of a Venezuelan by a federal immigration agent.
Public jail records do not specify the date of Misael Ramos’ alleged rioting, but Ramos’ lawyer said his client was accused of “engaging in a riot on September 20,” the day of protests following the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in Austin.
Ramos denies any wrongdoing and will contest the charges, his campaign said in a news release.
“I didn’t see any rioting,” said Ramos’ attorney, Edmund Skip Davis. “I saw people chanting and protesting. »
The agency that made the arrest did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press, and the details of the allegations against Ramos are not yet clear. Ramos, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, is running for Austin City Council.
Ramos was released Saturday at a news conference outside the county jail to cheers from the crowd. Ramos thanked those who were there, saying it was “one of the craziest mornings I’ve had in a long time.” He spoke about his surprise arrest and his opposition to federal immigration raids in the community.
“When we fight,” he said, to which those gathered responded, “we win!” »
Garces Pérez was shot then taken to a detention center after a meeting with an immigration officer. An attorney for Garces Perez said he was an asylum seeker and had a valid work permit.
Some Democrats criticized the shooting, and the encounter sparked protests in Austin, including a rally outside the Texas Capitol Monday evening.
“Like the hundreds of Austinites who were shocked to learn that an ICE officer shot someone in the back, Misael quickly joined people at the scene of the incident to condemn the incident and show solidarity by holding the protest line, chanting and amplifying the incident through campaign channels,” Ramos campaign manager Jeffrey Clemmons said in a statement provided to AP.
Kristen Dark, a spokeswoman for the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed in an email that Ramos was taken into custody around 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning for participating in a riot.
Dark said additional details are expected to come from the Texas Department of Public Safety, which made the arrest. The agency did not immediately respond to calls or emails from the AP.
Garces Perez was making a DoorDash delivery Sunday afternoon when ICE agents in an unmarked truck hit his car twice, his attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch said. He was shot and taken to a hospital, then released into ICE custody with a bullet still in his back, she said.
ICE and DHS have not said what led to the shooting, beyond that Garces Perez was “the subject of a targeted vehicle stop.”
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