By Micah Jonah
February 22, 2026
Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old US citizen, was shot dead by a federal immigration agent in March 2025, months before the Trump administration’s deportation surge in Minnesota that resulted in the deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.
Records released this week show that Martinez was killed by Department of Homeland Security agents after he allegedly struck another agent with his car while the officers were assisting local police with traffic control following an accident in South Padre Island, Texas, on March 15, 2025. The records were obtained by the nonprofit watchdog group American Oversight through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
Martinez, who worked at an Amazon warehouse, had no prior run-ins with law enforcement, according to his mother, Rachel Reyes. He was taken to a nearby hospital in Brownsville, Texas, where he was pronounced dead. The agent who was hit by the car was treated for a knee injury and later released.
Chioma Chukwu, executive director of American Oversight, said the records highlight “a deeply troubling picture of the violent methods used by ICE,” noting a spike of nearly 400 percent in use-of-force incidents in the early months of the administration.
A DHS spokesperson said Martinez “intentionally ran over” an agent from Homeland Security Investigations, prompting another agent to fire defensive shots. The incident is under investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety Ranger Division.
Martinez’s lawyers, Charles Stam and Alex Stamm, called for a full, fair investigation, saying he was trying to comply with instructions from local law enforcement when he was shot. The case is the first known instance of a US citizen being killed during Trump’s anti-immigration crackdown, which has drawn increased scrutiny and public backlash.
The Trump administration has significantly increased immigration enforcement, with a historic $170 billion budgeted for immigration agencies through September 2029.
