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Judge orders Venezuelan delivery driver shot by ICE to remain in custody on assault charge

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 20 outlets across the spectrum.

27 articles in total, 3 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

A federal judge in Austin, Texas, ruled that Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan delivery driver who was shot by an ICE officer during a Sept. 20 traffic stop, will remain in custody while prosecutors pursue a charge of assaulting, resisting and impeding a federal officer. Prosecutors allege Garces Perez struck an agent with his car’s side-view mirror while trying to drive away; he faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Judge Dustin Howell cited flight-risk concerns, noting Garces Perez has a child in Venezuela. Prosecutors presented body-worn camera footage of the encounter in court. Garces Perez, who still has a bullet lodged near his spine, appeared in a wheelchair, and his attorneys say he urgently needs medical care and have filed suit to block his removal from the U.S.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, a Venezuelan national, was shot by an ICE officer during a Sept. 20 traffic stop in Austin, Texas.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  2. He is charged with one count of assaulting, resisting and impeding a federal officer, which carries up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  3. Prosecutors allege he struck an officer with his car’s side-view mirror while attempting to flee.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  4. A federal judge, Dustin Howell, ruled on Wednesday that the case should proceed and denied bond, citing flight risk because Garces Perez has a child in Venezuela.

    Reported byLeftRight

  5. Garces Perez appeared in court in a wheelchair with a bullet still lodged near his spine, and his attorneys say he urgently needs medical care.

    Reported byLeft

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. His attorneys have filed a lawsuit seeking to block his removal from the United States.

    Reported byLeft

  2. Prosecutors presented body-worn camera footage of the encounter in court, though NBC reported the shooting itself was not captured on the footage shown.

    Reported byLeft

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Whether the body-camera footage shown in court captured the actual shooting.

    NBC News reported that the shooting was not captured on the footage shared in court, while other outlets describe footage of “the encounter” without specifying whether the shooting itself was shown.

  • How to characterize Garces Perez’s immigration status.

    Right-leaning outlets such as Daily Wire and RedState refer to him as an “illegal alien,” while left-leaning and center outlets describe him as a “Venezuelan man,” “immigrant” or “delivery driver” without an immigration-status label.

  • Whether the charges against Garces Perez are legitimate or retaliatory.

    Prosecutors maintain the assault charge is based on the driver striking an officer with his mirror; his defense attorneys, as quoted in NBC’s report, called the charges “retaliatory.”

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    8 outlets

    Left-leaning outlets, including CBS and NBC (the latter via an AP report also used by a right-leaning outlet), emphasize the driver’s injuries and ongoing detention, often identifying him by occupation (“DoorDash driver,” “delivery driver”) rather than by immigration status.

    Judge keeps DoorDash driver shot by ICE behind bars for alleged assault
    CBS NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    3 outlets

    Center outlets, including an AP report distributed via PBS NewsHour, describe the charge and the DOJ’s account in procedural terms without characterizing the driver’s immigration status.

    Venezuelan man shot by ICE in Texas is charged with assault
    BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    9 outlets · 3 opinion

    Right-leaning outlets, including Daily Wire and RedState, more often label the driver an “illegal alien,” while a Washington Times article drawn from an AP report uses neutral language matching the left-side version of the same report.

    Bodycam video captures DoorDashing 'Dehumanizing label“illegal alien”Uses a dehumanizing label for the man's immigration status, framed in quotes but still presented as the outlet's characterizationMore neutral: immigrant without legal statusThis appears inside a quotation. The outlet is reporting someone else’s words.Disagree with this highlight?' Euphemism“clipping officer”Minimizes the described collision with an officer compared to the complaint's account of being struckMore neutral: striking officerDisagree with this highlight? who shot afterward, DOJ says
    TheBlazeFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right12

    illegal alienIllegal Immigrantleftist activists tried to turn him into a noble victimnoble victim

In the outlets’ own words

  • Dehumanizing label

    illegal alienMore neutral: man without legal immigration status

    Uses a term widely regarded as dehumanizing to describe a person, reducing him to his immigration status.

    Federal prosecutors on Monday charged an illegal alien who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)RedState (Far Right)PJ Media (Far Right)Townhall (Far Right)and 2 more

  • Dehumanizing label

    Illegal ImmigrantMore neutral: immigrant

    Labels the person by legal status alone rather than as a person or by name, framing him primarily as a criminal category.

    Feds Charge Illegal Immigrant Shot By ICE

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)The Epoch Times (Far Right)

  • Delegitimizing label

    leftist activists tried to turn him into a noble victimMore neutral: activists portrayed him sympathetically

    Dismisses sympathetic coverage of the shooting as a manufactured, illegitimate narrative rather than describing it neutrally.

    Remember how leftist activists tried to turn him into a noble victim?

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Delegitimizing label

    noble victimMore neutral: a victim

    Sarcastically dismisses sympathetic framing of the shooting victim as unfounded.

    Remember how leftist activists tried to turn him into a noble victim?

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

Show 8 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Partisan shorthand

    Whom Lefties Mourned as VictimMore neutral: whose shooting drew sympathetic coverage

    Uses a dismissive label for political opponents and frames sympathetic coverage as misplaced before the facts are settled.

    Feds Charge Illegal Alien Whom Lefties Mourned as Victim With Assault

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    An illegal immigrant was chargedMore neutral: A Venezuelan national was charged

    Uses immigration status as the primary identifying label rather than his name or a neutral descriptor.

    An illegal immigrant was charged on Sept.

    Used byThe Epoch Times (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    Just Caught Federal ChargesMore neutral: Is Charged

    The casual phrasing "caught" charges frames a serious legal proceeding as an offhand or trivial event, adding a dramatic, dismissive tone.

    The Venezuelan National Shot by ICE Just Caught Federal Charges

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    spinning tall talesMore neutral: presenting a selective account

    Accuses other media of fabricating stories in dramatic language rather than describing specific factual disputes

    Legacy media outlets have been spinning tall tales about Texas ICE agents in recent months, trying to stoke backlash against…

    Used byThe Daily Signal (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    stoke backlashMore neutral: generate criticism

    Implies deliberate manipulation of public opinion rather than neutral reporting

    …have been spinning tall tales about Texas ICE agents in recent months, trying to stoke backlash against immigration enforcement.

    Used byThe Daily Signal (Far Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    illegal aliensMore neutral: immigrants without legal status

    Uses a dehumanizing legal label for the men involved rather than a neutral term

    Two shootings of illegal aliens in particular have garnered extensive coverage: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston,…

    Used byThe Daily Signal (Far Right)

  • Delegitimizing label

    One-Sided NarrativeMore neutral: incomplete coverage

    Dismisses other outlets' coverage as illegitimate or biased without specifying what facts were omitted

    Texas ICE Shootings Deserve More Than a One-Sided Narrative

    Used byThe Daily Signal (Far Right)

  • Euphemism

    clipping officerMore neutral: striking officer

    Minimizes the described collision with an officer compared to the complaint's account of being struck

    Bodycam video captures DoorDashing 'illegal alien' clipping officer who shot afterward, DOJ says

    Used byTheBlaze (Far Right)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Dehumanizing label

    Quoted

    illegal alienMore neutral: immigrant without legal status

    Uses a dehumanizing label for the man's immigration status, framed in quotes but still presented as the outlet's characterization

    Bodycam video captures DoorDashing 'illegal alien' clipping officer who shot afterward, DOJ says

    Quoted byTheBlaze (Far Right)

    Inside a quotation: the outlets are reporting someone else’s words.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

8 outlets

Leads with

  • physical injuries and wheelchair appearance at the hearing
  • body-camera footage shown in court
  • lawsuit seeking to block deportation
  • Democratic criticism of ICE enforcement tactics
See the 9 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

3 outlets

Leads with

  • formal charge filed by federal prosecutors
  • potential 20-year sentence
  • details from the DOJ affidavit

Leaves out

  • driver’s medical condition and wheelchair appearance
  • lawsuit to prevent removal

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 3 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • BBC NewsCenter

    Venezuelan man shot by ICE in Texas is charged with assault

    Wilber Rafael Garces-Perez is accused of striking an agent with his car's side-view mirror while driving away.

    Read at BBC News (opens in a new tab)
  • PBS NewsHourCenterAssociated Press report

    Federal prosecutors charge Venezuelan man shot in his car by ICE agent in Texas with assaulting an officer

    If convicted Garces Perez faces up to 20 years in prison.

    Read at PBS NewsHour (opens in a new tab)
  • The HillCenter

    DOJ charges Austin immigrant shot by ICE officer

    Federal prosecutors have charged a Velezuelan national shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Austin with assault charges. According to an affidavit, Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was pulled over in a traffic stop by ICE officers after they identified him as having …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

9 outlets · 3 opinion

Leads with

  • criminal charge and resisting/assault allegations
  • immigration status of the driver
  • judicial proceedings and bond decision

Leaves out

  • driver’s ongoing medical needs and wheelchair appearance
  • lawsuit seeking to block deportation

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 12 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Washington TimesRightAssociated Press report

    Judge keeps Venezuelan delivery driver shot by ICE in custody for alleged assault

    A Venezuelan delivery driver who was shot in his car by a federal immigration agent in Texas will remain in custody on charges that he assaulted an officer while trying to escape arrest, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)
    1 more from The Washington Times
  • TheBlazeFar Right

    Bodycam video captures DoorDashing 'Dehumanizing label“illegal alien”Uses a dehumanizing label for the man's immigration status, framed in quotes but still presented as the outlet's characterizationMore neutral: immigrant without legal statusThis appears inside a quotation. The outlet is reporting someone else’s words.Disagree with this highlight?' Euphemism“clipping officer”Minimizes the described collision with an officer compared to the complaint's account of being struckMore neutral: striking officerDisagree with this highlight? who shot afterward, DOJ says

    A federal criminal complaint alleges that a DoorDash driver who is said to be in the U.S. illegally struck an immigration officer with his vehicle’s side mirror as he fled a traffic stop — an encounter that ended with him being shot. …

    Read at TheBlaze (opens in a new tab)
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Venezuelan Dehumanizing label“Illegal Alien”Labels the man with a legally contested, dehumanizing term rather than a neutral description of his immigration statusMore neutral: immigrant without legal statusDisagree with this highlight? Shot by ICE in Austin Charged with Assaulting Officer with Vehicle

    A Venezuelan Dehumanizing label“illegal alien”Repeats a dehumanizing legal label rather than a neutral description of immigration statusMore neutral: immigrant without legal statusDisagree with this highlight? with a final order of removal from an immigration judge is now facing federal charges for assaulting a federal officer. …

    Read at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)
  • Fox NewsFar Right

    Venezuelan national shot by ICE officer in Austin charged with assaulting federal officer

    The Justice Department charged Wilber Rafael Garces-Perez with assaulting a federal officer after an Austin vehicle pursuit ended in an ICE shooting.

    Read at Fox News (opens in a new tab)
  • TownhallFar Right

    The Venezuelan National Shot by ICE Loaded verb“Just Caught Federal Charges”The casual phrasing "caught" charges frames a serious legal proceeding as an offhand or trivial event, adding a dramatic, dismissive tone.More neutral: Is ChargedDisagree with this highlight?

    Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan Dehumanizing label“illegal alien”Uses a term widely regarded as dehumanizing to describe a person's immigration status rather than a neutral descriptor.More neutral: immigrant without legal statusDisagree with this highlight? who was shot by an immigration officer in Austin, Texas, has been charged with assaulting a federal officer.

    Read at Townhall (opens in a new tab)
  • The Epoch TimesFar Right

    Dehumanizing label“Illegal Immigrant”Labels the man by his immigration status as a headline descriptor rather than using a neutral identifier, reducing him to a legal category before the facts of the case are established.More neutral: ManDisagree with this highlight? Shot by ICE Officer in Austin Charged With Assault

    The suspect allegedly hit the officer with his car's side mirror as he fled, according to the complaint.

    Read at The Epoch Times (opens in a new tab)
  • RedStateFar Right

    Dehumanizing label“Illegal Alien”Uses a dehumanizing legal-status label as the primary identifier for the person in the headline.More neutral: Venezuelan manDisagree with this highlight? Shot by ICE in Austin Faces Charges for Resisting-Assaulting Federal Officer

    On Tuesday, Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, the Venezuelan Dehumanizing label“illegal alien”Describes the person by a dehumanizing status label rather than neutral terms.More neutral: Venezuelan nationalDisagree with this highlight? who was shot on September 20 by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer after he attempted to flee from a targeted ICE apprehension, has been officially charged with assault on a federal officer …

    Read at RedState (opens in a new tab)
  • Washington ExaminerRight

    Venezuelan man shot by ICE facing charges of assaulting officer

    A Venezuelan man who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during a traffic stop in Texas is facing a federal charge of assaulting, resisting, interfering with, or impeding a federal officer, according to the Justice Department. …

    Read at Washington Examiner (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily WireFar Right

    Feds Charge Dehumanizing label“Illegal Immigrant”Labels the person by legal status alone rather than as a person or by name, framing him primarily as a criminal category.More neutral: immigrantDisagree with this highlight? Shot By ICE

    Federal prosecutors on Monday charged an Dehumanizing label“illegal alien”Uses a term widely regarded as dehumanizing to describe a person, reducing him to his immigration status.More neutral: man without legal immigration statusDisagree with this highlight? who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Venezuelan national Wilber Rafael Garces-Perez, 28, was charged with one count of assaulting, resisting and impeding a federal officer after he allegedly …

    Read at The Daily Wire (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily SignalFar RightOpinion

    Texas ICE Shootings Deserve More Than a Delegitimizing label“One-Sided Narrative”Dismisses other outlets' coverage as illegitimate or biased without specifying what facts were omittedMore neutral: incomplete coverageDisagree with this highlight?

    Legacy media outlets have been Sensational language“spinning tall tales”Accuses other media of fabricating stories in dramatic language rather than describing specific factual disputesMore neutral: presenting a selective accountDisagree with this highlight? about Texas ICE agents in recent months, trying to Loaded verb“stoke backlash”Implies deliberate manipulation of public opinion rather than neutral reportingMore neutral: generate criticismDisagree with this highlight? against immigration enforcement. But they’re not telling the full story. …

    Read at The Daily Signal (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily CallerFar RightOpinion

    Editor Daily Rundown: Dehumanizing label“Illegal Alien”Appears in some statutes but is widely read as dehumanizing; 'alien' frames people as foreign objects rather than residents.More neutral: unauthorized immigrant, noncitizen without legal statusDisagree with this highlight? Shot By ICE Agent Charged With Assaulting Federal Officer

    If convicted, he will face up to 20 years in federal prison

    Read at The Daily Caller (opens in a new tab)
  • PJ MediaFar RightOpinion

    Feds Charge Dehumanizing label“Illegal Alien”Uses a dehumanizing legal-status label to identify the person rather than a neutral term.More neutral: immigrantDisagree with this highlight? Partisan shorthand“Whom Lefties Mourned as Victim”Uses a dismissive label for political opponents and frames sympathetic coverage as misplaced before the facts are settled.More neutral: whose shooting drew sympathetic coverageDisagree with this highlight? With Assault

    Remember the Dehumanizing label“illegal alien”Uses a dehumanizing status label rather than a neutral description.More neutral: immigrantDisagree with this highlight? who suffered a gunshot wound while trying to flee federal officers in Texas? Remember how Delegitimizing label“leftist activists tried to turn him into a noble victim”Dismisses sympathetic coverage of the shooting as a manufactured, illegitimate narrative rather than describing it neutrally.More neutral: activists portrayed him sympatheticallyDisagree with this highlight?? …

    Read at PJ Media (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    CBS News, Sep 29, 11:29 AM EDT

  • Center

    3 hr 53 min later

    Its first report, Sep 29, 3:22 PM EDT

  • Right

    47 min later

    Its first report, Sep 29, 12:16 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. CBS NewsLeftSep 29, 11:29 AM EDT
  2. The Washington PostLeftSep 29, 11:51 AM EDT
  3. The Daily WireFar RightSep 29, 12:16 PM EDT
  4. The New York TimesLeftSep 29, 12:38 PM EDT
  5. The IndependentLeftSep 29, 1:09 PM EDT
  6. Washington ExaminerRightSep 29, 1:58 PM EDT
  7. The HillCenterSep 29, 3:22 PM EDT
  8. The New RepublicFar LeftSep 29, 4:11 PM EDT
  9. RedStateFar RightSep 29, 4:30 PM EDT
  10. The Epoch TimesFar RightSep 29, 5:55 PM EDT
  11. PBS NewsHourCenterSep 29, 6:16 PM EDT
  12. The GuardianLeftSep 29, 6:18 PM EDT
  13. TownhallFar RightSep 29, 6:30 PM EDT
  14. The Washington TimesRightSep 29, 6:57 PM EDT
  15. NBC NewsLeftSep 29, 7:00 PM EDT
  16. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftSep 29, 7:15 PM EDT
  17. BBC NewsCenterSep 29, 7:27 PM EDT
  18. Fox NewsFar RightSep 29, 11:47 PM EDT
  19. Breitbart NewsFar RightSep 30, 8:28 AM EDT
  20. TheBlazeFar RightSep 30, 4:25 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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