Turning Point USA blasted an Austin immigration attorney after she deleted a social media jab at Charlie Kirk’s death tied to an ICE shooting of a Venezuelan man under a final removal order.
Protests broke out in Austin, Texas, after an ICE officer shot 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez during a targeted vehicle stop. Fox News reported that attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch drew sharp criticism this week for a since-deleted post that invoked the conservative activist’s assassination.
TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet answered Thursday. He backed the officers and questioned the lawyer’s conduct while her firm fought to keep Perez in the country.
The Department of Homeland Security said Perez is a Venezuelan national with a final order of removal. DHS described the stop as targeted and said his work authorization expired in 2025.
Kolvet made the group’s position plain.
"We stand with our brave men and women of ICE who are defending American sovereignty and keeping American citizens safe,"
He did not stop there.
"While everyone is entitled to their defense, it's not surprising the quality of lawyer an illegal alien from Venezuela attracts who had a final notice of deportation before leading law enforcement on a dangerous high-speed chase."
"They seem a perfect match," Kolvet added.
Lincoln-Goldfinch’s account posted: "How do you resist getting shot in the neck? Does Charlie Kirk have any advice on that?" The message referenced Kirk’s death and later vanished after it resurfaced and drew pushback.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, she said the post came down because it could be misconstrued.
"A post referencing the death of Charlie Kirk was removed from our account. We recognized the post could be misconstrued, and that's why it came down. We have also addressed this issue internally,"
Kirk’s killing remains a live legal fight. Courts have kept the death penalty on the table for Tyler Robinson as that case moves forward.
DHS rejected what it called smears against the agency.
"No amount of smears and false narratives will slow down ICE from doing its job to arrest illegal aliens from our communities,"
Surveillance footage published Wednesday showed at least two federal vehicles chasing Perez’s car with lights and sirens on. DHS confirmed the video’s authenticity to Fox News Digital. The clip did not capture the shooting itself.
Austin police released body-camera video Tuesday. Officers arrived right after the shots and helped Perez from his vehicle. Those cameras also missed the moment of the shooting. Homeland Security Investigations is leading the federal probe with FBI help. The full circumstances remain under review.
Lincoln-Goldfinch has disputed the government’s account. She said her client was working as a DoorDash driver when an unmarked vehicle struck his car and that he did not at first realize federal agents were after him. DHS has pushed back on claims about how he was treated after the shooting.
Public reaction to Kirk’s murder has already produced separate media fallout, including an arbitrator order that the Washington Post reinstate a columnist fired over assassination-related posts.
Lincoln-Goldfinch’s firm filed a lawsuit seeking to stop Perez’s immediate removal. A federal judge ordered that he stay in the United States so he can appear at a Sept. 30 hearing.
That court pause keeps the 28-year-old here while the shooting investigation continues and while protesters have taken to Austin streets. Absolute details on the shooting’s exact date, street location, and Perez’s full medical status were not laid out in the initial reporting.
Prosecutors in the Kirk case have argued that poor marksmanship put thousands at risk during the attack, underscoring how raw the subject remains for conservatives who watched an activist gunned down in public.
Kolvet’s message tied the Austin case back to basic enforcement. An illegal immigrant from Venezuela with a final deportation order led officers on a chase. An ICE officer opened fire. The man’s lawyer then posted a crack about Kirk’s neck wound before deleting it and calling the wording open to misreading.
Roommates and other witnesses have already described multiple confessions in the Kirk murder case, keeping the assassination in the headlines even as new immigration fights erupt.
Federal agents still have a job to do. Local protests and online jabs do not cancel a final order of removal or erase video of a pursuit with lights and sirens. Taxpayers and lawful residents expect the law to mean what it says when ICE makes a targeted stop.
Mocking a murdered conservative while shielding a client who ignored deportation orders only hardens the case for real enforcement.