WASHINGTON — Internal government documents reveal that a federal immigration officer shot and killed a U.S. citizen during a nighttime traffic encounter in Texas last year, an incident that federal authorities never announced to the public.
Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, died in what appears to be the first of at least six fatal shootings involving federal officers during the current administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. The Department of Homeland Security stated Friday that the March incident on South Padre Island happened after Martinez deliberately hit an agent with his vehicle.
The fatal encounter involved officers from Homeland Security Investigations who were working alongside local police during an immigration operation, according to internal records secured by American Oversight, a Washington-based government accountability organization.
These documents came to light through a Freedom of Information Act legal challenge that produced heavily censored Immigration and Customs Enforcement files.
While local news organizations covered Martinez’s death on March 15, 2025, neither federal nor state officials revealed that HSI agents were involved in the shooting. DHS explained Friday that the victim “intentionally ran over a Homeland Security Investigation special agent,” prompting another officer to fire “defensive shots to protect himself, his fellow agents, and the general public.”
The agency declined to explain why no official statement or media notification was issued about the officer-involved shooting during the past 11 months.
Rachel Reyes, Martinez’s mother, explained that her son had recently turned 23 when he traveled with his closest friend from San Antonio to the coast for a birthday celebration. South Padre Island serves as a popular spring break destination on the Gulf Coast near the Mexican border, drawing thousands of young visitors each March.
Martinez held a job at an Amazon distribution center, enjoyed gaming, and spent time with friends. His mother emphasized he had no previous encounters with police.
“He was a typical young guy,” Reyes shared with The Associated Press. “He never really got a chance to go out and experience things. It was his first time getting to go out of town. He was a nice guy, humble guy. And he wasn’t a violent person at all.”
An internal ICE incident summary within the released documents indicates that HSI officers were helping South Padre Island police manage traffic flow around a multi-injury car crash scene just after midnight.
A blue Ford sedan carrying Martinez and a passenger approached the officers, who commanded the driver to halt. The document doesn’t specify their reasoning. While Martinez initially ignored the orders, he did eventually bring the vehicle to a stop.
Officers then encircled the car and demanded the occupants exit, but Martinez “accelerated forward” and struck an HSI agent “who wound up on the hood of the vehicle,” the summary states. A supervising HSI agent positioned beside the car then discharged his weapon several times through the open driver’s window, causing the vehicle to stop.
Emergency medical personnel already present at the crash site immediately administered aid, and Martinez was transported by ambulance to a Brownsville area hospital where doctors declared him deceased. The passenger, also an American citizen, was arrested.
The HSI officer reportedly struck by the vehicle received treatment for a knee injury at a local hospital before being discharged.
All names of the HSI agents and the two vehicle occupants were blacked out in the ICE summary, though Reyes confirmed her son was the deceased driver. She said he sustained three gunshot wounds.
The document indicates Texas Rangers responded to investigate and assumed primary responsibility for the shooting inquiry.
Reyes said she discovered approximately one week after the incident that a federal agent, not local police, had shot her son. A Rangers investigator contacted her and allegedly stated that video evidence contradicted the federal agents’ version of events. DHS did not immediately address Friday’s inquiry about claims of contradictory video footage.
The investigator informed her that the state’s investigation concluded in October and the case would go before a grand jury for possible criminal charges.
The Texas Department of Public Safety, which oversees the Rangers, confirmed Friday that the shooting investigation remains “active” and refused to provide additional details.
Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz, whose Democratic-held office has jurisdiction over South Padre Island, did not return Friday messages. South Padre Island Police Chief Claudine O’Carroll also failed to respond to comment requests.
Family legal representatives said Friday they have worked throughout the past year seeking accountability and transparency.
“It is critical that there is a full and fair investigation into why HSI was present at the scene of a traffic collision and why a federal officer shot and killed a U.S. citizen as he was trying to comply with instructions from the local law enforcement officers directing traffic,” attorneys Charles M. Stam and Alex Stamm stated.
The ICE summary indicates the HSI agents worked for a maritime border security task force normally focused on fighting international criminal networks at shipping ports. During the past year, officers from various federal agencies have been reassigned to prioritize immigration operations.
In January, ICE officer Jonathan Ross killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis mother, while she sat in her SUV. Administration officials initially characterized Good as a “domestic terrorist” who attempted to ram officers before multiple videos surfaced that questioned the government’s account.
Similar to the Good incident, police training specialists questioned why a federal officer apparently positioned himself in Martinez’s vehicle path.
“You don’t stand in front of the car, you don’t put yourself in harm’s way,” said Geoffrey Alpert, a University of South Carolina police use-of-force expert. He noted there’s never justification for such positioning, “because you don’t know whether this person is going to flee, and if he flees, you could be dead.”
Alpert said investigators will likely examine available body camera footage or other recordings to determine how quickly Martinez moved the vehicle forward, whether he simply released the brake or pressed hard on the accelerator.
Martinez’s mother said she couldn’t believe he would deliberately attack a law enforcement officer.
“They didn’t give him a chance,” Reyes said. “It’s so excessive. They could have done anything else besides that. It’s like they shoot first and ask questions later.”
