- Texas officers arrested Misael Ramos on September 26, 2026, over alleged conduct at a North Austin protest.
- Ramos faces a Class B misdemeanor charge of riot participation; he denies wrongdoing and says he will contest it.
- He was released on one thousand dollars bail the same day, after protesting the shooting of delivery driver Wilber Rafael Garces Perez.
Texas Department of Public Safety officers arrested Austin City Council District 1 candidate Misael Ramos on Saturday, September 26, 2026, over his alleged actions at a protest in North Austin. Ramos, 40, faces a Class B misdemeanor charge of riot participation.
The protest followed the September 20, 2026, shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan delivery driver. A federal immigration officer shot Garces Perez in North Austin.
State officers took Ramos into custody at about 8:45 a.m. Travis County Sheriff’s Office records show he was booked at about 9:30 a.m.
The state says video captured him at the protest. Ramos has denied wrongdoing and said he will contest the charge.
Investigators say Ramos moved barriers and sandbags into the street
The Texas Department of Public Safety said Ramos was filmed taking construction barricades, sandbags and other items, then trying to obstruct traffic. The agency said it had photos and video of some of his actions.
A probable-cause affidavit cited open-source social media videos. It described Ramos as “dragging a traffic control device and sandbags to obstruct the street without the authority to do so.”
Ramos’s attorney, Edmund “Skip” Davis, disputed that characterization of the protest.
“I didn’t see any riots. I saw people out there chanting and protesting.”
The affidavit used the term “riot.” Jail records listed the offense as a Class B misdemeanor. One account said the warrant stemmed from Ramos’s conduct at the protest on September 20.
Ramos denied wrongdoing and said he would fight the charge
Ramos issued a statement from jail condemning his arrest and linking it to his campaign and his support for protesters. He said he would continue speaking out.
“That these officers felt emboldened to do this to me, as a candidate on the ballot, speaks volumes to the level of impunity they feel to do this to our neighbors, who are living in fear of these kinds of abductions everyday. We must end the terror in our communities created by the fascist administration in Washington and here in Texas – I will never stop standing up and speaking out for our community.”
His campaign manager, Jeffrey Clemmons, said Ramos had gone to the scene to condemn the shooting and show solidarity. Clemmons said Ramos held the line, chanted and amplified the incident through campaign channels.
Clemmons also said the campaign was sorting through details, but that it appeared Ramos had been targeted for taking part in First Amendment activities. Ramos is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Two neighbors told Clemmons that several state troopers detained Ramos while he walked his dog at about 8:50 a.m. Clemmons said some of the officers arrived in unmarked vehicles.
Supporters and advocates gathered outside the Travis County Jail after the arrest. They held a press conference Saturday afternoon.
Protests spread after the September 20 shooting
Demonstrations began soon after the shooting. One protest blocked Research Boulevard and Anderson Square for hours.
Austin police later said three people were arrested and charged in connection with the Sunday protest. A separate account put the number arrested by state troopers and Austin police at at least four, with allegations including rioting, obstructing a highway, resisting arrest and assault on a peace officer.
Ramos was released on September 26, 2026, on $1,000 bail. The arrest and release both took place the same day.
