Rep. Anna Paulina Luna called for greater cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities following an ICE-related shooting in Austin, Texas, arguing that sanctuary-city policies can make already difficult enforcement situations more complicated.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded a man in Austin on Sunday following what local authorities described as a brief foot pursuit.
The man was hospitalized in serious but stable condition, and federal authorities are investigating the incident. Austin officials have also called for local and state law enforcement participation in the investigation.
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Luna said the full circumstances surrounding the encounter are not yet known and emphasized that the incident requires a thorough investigation.
At the same time, she argued that stronger cooperation between ICE and local authorities could help prevent similar situations and improve the response when enforcement actions occur.
“Look, the facts are is that in many sanctuary cities that there is a fail to cooperate with local law enforcement with ICE, and so if they genuinely believe that ICE is behaving in an aggressive fashion, which has been the perceived, you know, talking points from a majority of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in Washington, then it would be in their best interest to have local law enforcement interface and work directly with residents as well as the city and then the federal agency,” Luna said.
Luna argued that refusing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities creates unnecessary gaps between local agencies, residents, and ICE.
“But the fact is, is that there is a failure to cooperate, and so when instances like this happen, had the local law enforcement been cooperating and working with ICE, it could have been avoided, and then also, two, then you have, you know, immediate response,” she said.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said available information about the shooting remained preliminary, while Austin Mayor Kirk Watson called for an investigation involving authorities outside ICE to provide additional transparency.
Federal officials said Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the FBI, was examining the incident.
Luna cautioned against reaching conclusions before investigators establish the facts.
“And so what I would say is that I’m not trying to make this partisan. Obviously, we don’t know what happened, and that will be a very thorough investigation, especially with Markwayne heading up the DHS agency,” Luna said.
She said cooperation should not be viewed solely as a benefit to federal officers.
According to Luna, coordination between agencies could also provide protections and clearer communication for people detained during immigration operations.
“But what I would also like to point out is that there has to be cooperation for not just the officers at ICE, but also, two, for the individuals that are being detained, if that is a concern for the city that ICE is operating in,” she said.
Luna also said she intends to use her congressional oversight role to examine the incident once lawmakers return.
“And so, I will continue to obviously ensure that there’s oversight and accountability. I sit on that committee, and I’m sure that this will be brought up, you know, as soon as we return after the elections,” Luna said.
The Austin shooting quickly intensified an existing dispute over immigration enforcement in the city.
Local officials have demanded more information about what happened, while demonstrations formed near the scene after news of the shooting spread.
Authorities have stressed that significant questions surrounding the encounter remain unresolved.
Luna closed by defending ICE’s broader enforcement mission while again cautioning that there is not yet enough information to determine precisely what happened in Austin.
“But again, you know, ICE does go after a majority of the time some of the worst of the worst, and so we just don’t know enough facts to really determine what really happened here right now,” Luna said.
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