The Department of Homeland Security agent reportedly fired multiple rounds at the 23-year-old US citizen. The agent who was hit with a car went to the hospital for a knee injury and was later released, as per the records obtained by a nonprofit watchdog group
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 fam