An American citizen was fatally shot by a federal agent in Texas months before the Renee Good and Alex Pretti cases. Documents published almost a year after the incident
ICE agents outside a home in Circle Pines, Minnesota on January 28, 2026 PHOTO: SCOTT OLSON / Getty images / Profimedia
A federal immigration agent shot and killed a U.S. citizen in Texas in March 2025, months before the Trump administration began the wave of deportations in Minnesota that led to the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, documents released this week show.
Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, was killed by agents of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), attorneys for the Martinez family said in a statement.
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agent fired multiple shots at Ruben Ray Martinez, who authorities say rammed another DHS agent with his car while the agents were assisting local police in South Padre Island, Texas, with traffic control after a crash on March 15, 2025, documents obtained by the watchdog group American Oversight show. The agents were conducting an immigration enforcement operation.
Martinez's shooting appears to be the first known case of an American citizen being killed during President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Federal agents conducting such operations shot at least five people in January alone, including Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
The family is demanding an inquest
Martinez was trying to comply with instructions from local law enforcement when he was shot, Charles Stam and Alex Stamm, attorneys for his family, said in a statement. They called for a “full and fair investigation”.
“Ruben's family has been calling for transparency and accountability for nearly a year and will continue to do so for as long as necessary,” Stam and Stamm said.
The rising death toll amid Trump's tougher immigration policies has drawn a wave of criticism, fueling backlash from lawmakers and the public.
Martinez, identified as a US citizen in the redacted documents, was taken to a nearby hospital in Brownsville, Texas, where he was later pronounced dead. The officer he allegedly hit with the car went to the hospital for a knee injury and was later released, according to the report.
A DHS spokesman said in a statement that Martinez “intentionally ran over” a DHS Homeland Security Investigations agent and that another agent “fired defensively.”
