A Department of Homeland Security agent fatally shot an American citizen in Texas last March, according to documents made public this week by a government watchdog organization.
Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, died after being shot by federal immigration agents on South Padre Island, Texas, on March 15, 2025, family attorneys confirmed. The incident took place several months prior to other fatal shootings that occurred during the Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota, which resulted in the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Documents obtained by American Oversight, a nonprofit government accountability group, reveal that DHS agents were helping local police with traffic management following a vehicle crash when the shooting occurred. During the incident, Martinez allegedly struck a federal agent with his vehicle, prompting another agent to fire several shots at Martinez, according to the records.
This appears to mark the first documented case of an American citizen being killed during President Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement campaign. Federal agents conducting immigration operations shot at least five individuals in January alone, including Good and Pretti.
Family attorneys Charles Stam and Alex Stamm maintain that Martinez was attempting to follow orders from local law enforcement when he was shot. The lawyers are demanding a thorough investigation into the incident.
“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 attorneys stated.
The increasing number of fatalities linked to Trump’s expanded immigration enforcement has drawn growing criticism from elected officials and the public. The current administration has allocated a record-breaking $170 billion for immigration agencies through September 2029, dramatically expanding enforcement operations.
After being shot, Martinez was transported to a hospital in Brownsville, Texas, where medical staff pronounced him dead. The agent who was struck by Martinez’s vehicle received treatment for a knee injury and was subsequently discharged, the report indicates.
Chioma Chukwu, who leads American Oversight, expressed concern about the enforcement tactics being employed. “These records paint a deeply troubling picture of the violent methods used by ICE,” Chukwu said. “In just the first months of this administration, ICE’s own data shows a dramatic spike of nearly 400 percent in use-of-force incidents — with people hospitalized, bystanders swept up in operations, and even the death of a U.S. citizen.”
A Department of Homeland Security representative stated that Martinez “intentionally ran over” a Homeland Security Investigations agent, leading another agent to “fire defensive shots.”
The Texas Department of Public Safety Ranger Division is currently investigating the nearly year-old incident, according to DHS officials. Texas DPS representatives have not yet responded to requests for comment about the ongoing investigation.
