A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officer shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas on Sunday afternoon and anti-Ice protesters quickly gathered at the scene.

The man, later identified as Venezuelan-born Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, was in a serious but stable condition in hospital after being shot once in the torso on the city’s north side, Austin officials told a news conference.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Ice, said the man was “in federal custody pending removal.”

Homeland Security Investigations, with FBI assistance, is investigating “the officer involved shooting of an illegal alien from Venezuela, who illegally entered our country under the Biden administration and had a final order of removal,” the department said in a statement.

City police officers were not involved in the operation or the shooting, which occurred after a traffic stop, Austin police chief Lisa Davis said while briefing reporters along with the city’s mayor and other officials.

Mayor Kirk Watson, a Democrat, said he wanted the city’s police department to have a role in the investigation so it could provide “clear, third-party eyes” in the process, rather than Ice conducting a probe on its own.

He said Austin residents had “a right to feel safe in their city,” adding that a proper investigation would only enhance credibility.

A large number of law enforcement officers were present at the site of the shooting, along with a crowd of about 100 protesters.

Some demonstrators swore at police holding riot shields, while others yelled out as passing cars honked in support of the protest.

One man held a sign reading: “Nobody is safe” and on the other side: “Ice Nazi.”

The shooting follows Ice making more than 50,000 arrests across the US during July and August.