Newly released records have revealed that a federal immigration agent shot and killed a US citizen in Texas in March last year, months before the Trump administration began its deportation surge in Minnesota which saw fatal shootings.
Ruben Ray Martinez – aged 23-years-old – was killed by agents with the Department of Homeland Security, attorneys for Martinez’s family said in a statement, reported Reuters.
DHS agent fired multiple rounds at Martinez
According to records obtained by a nonprofit watchdog group American Oversight, a Department of Homeland Security agent fired multiple rounds at Martinez after he allegedly struck another agent with his car as the agents assisted local police in South Padre Island, Texas, with traffic control following an accident on March 15, 2025.
Martinez, who was identified as a US citizen in the redacted records, was taken to a hospital in nearby Brownsville, Texas, where he was later pronounced dead.
The agent who was hit with a car went to the hospital for a knee injury and was later released, according to the report.
A DHS spokesperson said in a statement that Martinez “intentionally ran over” an agent with DHS’ Homeland Security Investigations and another agent “fired defensive shots.”
‘Full and fair investigation…’
Martinez was trying to comply with instructions from local law enforcement when he was shot, Charles Stam and Alex Stamm, attorneys for Martinez’s family, said in a statement. They called for a “full and fair investigation.”
“Ruben’s family has been pursuing transparency and accountability for nearly a year now and will continue to do so for as long as it takes,” the two attorneys said.
The mounting death toll has increased scrutiny of Trump’s immigration crackdown, driving a backlash among lawmakers and the public.
“These records paint a deeply troubling picture of the violent methods used by ICE,” Chioma Chukwu, the executive director of American Oversight, said in a statement. “In just the first months of this administration, ICE’s own data shows a dramatic spike of nearly 400% in use-of-force incidents – with people hospitalized, bystanders swept up in operations, and even the death of a US citizen.”
$170 billion for immigration agencies
The Trump administration has been dramatically ramping up immigration enforcement, with $170 billion budgeted for immigration agencies through September 2029, a historic sum.
The nearly year-old incident is under investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Ranger Division, a DHS spokesperson said.
A spokesperson with the Texas DPS said the case is still an active investigation by the Texas Rangers, declining to comment further, reported. Reuters.
