Texas Rep. Greg Casar called for ICE to end its Austin surge after a shooting in the city. He said the operation should stop to make the community safer. Casar argued he had warned weeks earlier that someone could be shot if the surge continued. His remarks drew backlash from users defending immigration enforcement.
In the video, Casar described the shooting as a horror that had reached Austin. He said the incident did not come as a surprise. The Texas Democrat pointed to warnings issued when the ICE surge reached north central Austin.
He referenced shootings in Minneapolis, Corpus Christi and Chicago while discussing those earlier concerns. Casar said he and others had urged ICE to leave before a similar incident occurred locally. “And that day is here,” he said.
Casar then tied public safety directly to ending the operation. “For Austin to be safe, ICE should end its surge here in our community,” He said.
Greg Casar’s ICE Demand Draws Backlash Over Austin Public Safety
The criticism focused on enforcement, public safety and whether Casar’s proposed response would protect the community.
“Not enforcing our laws is war on our citizens,” one user wrote. Another challenged Casar’s safety argument directly: “Our definitions of ‘safe’ are radically different.”
Others questioned whether reducing enforcement would improve safety. “The only way to make things safer is to have less law enforcement?” one response asked. Another stated, “He doesn’t get to decide that for his constituents or any other American citizen.”
The criticism also turned toward Casar himself. “Rep. Casar is part of the problem-not the solution,” one user wrote. A separate response described his reaction as “Selective outrage from the guy who ran Austin straight into the toilet.”
The future of the ICE surge in Austin remains unsettled. No change to the operation was announced in Casar’s remarks.
