An Austin City Council candidate is facing a misdemeanor charge stemming from his alleged participation in a protest following the shooting of an illegal alien from Venezuela by an Immigration Customs and Enforcement officer.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and special agents arrested Misael Ramos, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, around 8:45 a.m. Saturday in connection with a protest held in Austin on Sept. 20.
Ramos was charged with misdemeanor riot participation under Section 42.02 of the Texas Penal Code. The statute addresses situations involving seven or more people who engage in conduct that, among other things, substantially obstructs law enforcement or government functions or deprives someone of a legal right.
According to DPS, investigators identified Ramos through social media posts, cellphone video and government records. Authorities allege video showed Ramos moving construction barricades, sandbags and other materials in an attempt to obstruct traffic.
The protest followed the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a Venezuelan national, by an ICE agent in Austin. Perez had a final order of removal and fled police.
The shooting prompted criticism from several Democrat officials. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said he was “very angry and extremely disappointed that a person was shot on the streets of Austin by ICE.” He also characterized the agency’s operations as “rogue.”
Democrat U.S. Rep. Greg Casar also commented at a press conference, saying that the only way for “Austin to be safe” is for ICE to leave the city, and he compared immigration enforcement to “war.”
“I think the message remains that for Austin to be safe, ICE should end its surge here in our community,” Casar said.
Ramos’ denies any wrongdoing and plans to contest the charge, according to his campaign.
“I didn’t see any riots,” said Ramos’ attorney, Edmund Davis. “I saw people out there chanting and protesting.”
In a statement to WRAL News, Ramos’ campaign manager Jeffery Clemmons, said Ramos attended the protest to condemn the shooting and “show solidarity.”
“Like the hundreds of Austinites who were shocked to hear news that an ICE officer shot someone in the back, Misael quickly joined people at the scene of the incident to offer his condemnation of the incident and show solidarity by holding the line in the protest, chanting, and amplifying the incident through campaign channels,” Clemmons said.
Ramos was released from the Travis County Jail Saturday after his arrest. His attorney said he was released on a $1,000 bail.
An attorney with the Austin Lawyers Guild told KUT News that three other people were also arrested during the protest on charges including resisting arrest and rioting.
