Texas Democratic lawmakers are demanding medical treatment and an independent investigation for Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, a Venezuelan immigrant who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent and remains in federal custody. Rep. Greg Casar said Wednesday that Garcés Pérez told lawmakers he still has a bullet lodged in his back and that a specialist determined he needs surgery to remove it. Casar and Rep. Joaquin Castro met with Garcés Pérez, who is being held by ICE and faces deportation. “Today, he finally got a chance to see a specialist, who told him that he needs surgery to remove the bullet from his body,” Casar said at a news conference. Casar said the wound was covered with gauze and that Garcés Pérez had received only pills for pain until about an hour before the congressional visit, when he was given an injection of pain medication. Casar said Garcés Pérez was removed from a hospital less than four hours after being shot and taken to a detention-processing facility that had no available bed. He was still wearing a hospital gown, Casar said. “If you saw Wilber, just like if you saw anybody that had been shot three days ago, you would say this person needs a doctor, not a deportation, or a detention center,” Casar said. Castro, who could not attend the meeting because of a flight delay, said through his district director that Garcés Pérez was handcuffed after being shot in the back and was taken from the hospital while in severe pain. Castro described the treatment as torture and said Garcés Pérez had entered the United States legally and had authorization to work. The lawmakers said Garcés Pérez was delivering food for DoorDash when he was shot and was supporting himself and his family. They called for ICE and local law enforcement to investigate the shooting jointly, saying the agency should not be responsible for investigating its own conduct. A federal judge on Monday ordered ICE to bring Garcés Pérez to a court hearing on Sept. 30. His attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, has said publicly that the bullet remains in his back. The shooting has raised broader questions about how federal immigration authorities handle people injured during enforcement operations, including whether detainees receive timely access to specialists and hospital care. ICE’s planned deportation of Garcés Pérez is now subject to the federal court order.