WASHINGTON
A U.S. citizen was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent in Texas last year during a late-night traffic stop — a death the Department of Homeland Security never publicly disclosed, newly released records show.
Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, died March 15, 2025, on South Padre Island. His killing would mark the earliest of at least six deadly shootings by federal officers since President Donald Trump launched his second-term immigration crackdown.
Local media reported the death at the time. But federal and state authorities did not reveal that a Homeland Security Investigations team was involved.
On Friday, after the records emerged, DHS said the driver “intentionally ran over” an HSI special agent, prompting another agent to fire “defensive shots to protect himself, his fellow agents, and the general public.”
The heavily redacted internal ICE documents were obtained by American Oversight, a nonprofit watchdog, through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
The disclosure raises fresh questions about transparency as federal immigration enforcement intensifies — and about how many more such killings may remain hidden from public view.
By James Kisoo
