Full Breakdown
Fatal Shootings by U.S. Immigration Agents During President Trump’s Second Term
7/18/2026, 1:16:41 AM
Overview of the Fatal Incidents
Since President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025, at least seven people have been fatally shot by on-duty federal immigration agents. The victims include U.S. citizens and undocumented migrants killed in Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Maine between March 15 2025 and July 13 2026. Agents cited perceived threats, vehicle-related “attempts to flee,” or “reckless driving” as justification, while families and activists contend many deaths resulted from excessive force or misidentified targets.
Timeline of Deaths
- March 15 2025 – Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, U.S. citizen, shot in South Padre Island, Texas after agents said his car struck two officers.
- September 12 2025 – Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, 38, Mexican cook, shot in Chicago while ICE agents attempted to stop his vehicle.
- December 11 2025 – Unidentified 31-year-old Mexican man, shot outside Rio Grande City, Texas after a two-minute struggle.
- January 7 2026 – Renee Good, 37, U.S. citizen activist, shot in Minneapolis while driving forward from a parked car.
- January 24 2026 – Alex Pretti, 37, intensive-care nurse, shot on a Minneapolis sidewalk after being pinned down.
- July 7 2026 – Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 53, Colombian, shot in Houston while driving to work.
- July 13 2026 – Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero, 23, Colombian, shot in Biddeford, Maine after agents rammed his vehicle.
Data Summary
- Total fatalities: 7
- Citizenship: 3 U.S. citizens, 4 non-citizens (all from Mexico or Colombia)
- Locations: Texas (2), Illinois (1), Minnesota (2), Massachusetts (1), Maine (1)
- Agency involvement: DHS (including ICE and CBP) in all cases; ICE agents directly responsible in six incidents.
Background: Operation Metro Surge and Expanded Enforcement
President Trump’s 2025-2026 “Operation Metro Surge” deployed hundreds of armed immigration agents to major cities, intensifying deportation and enforcement actions. The policy aimed to curb undocumented presence but coincided with a rise in confrontations between agents and community members participating in protests against the operation.
Official Agency Statements
- DHS described Martinez’s death as the result of “accelerating … and striking two agents,” justifying the shooting.
- ICE cited “fear for his life” and a “history of reckless driving” when explaining Villegas-Gonzalez’s shooting.
- CBP said the unnamed Mexican man “was trying to detain the man and struggled with him for two minutes before shooting him.”
- DHS later clarified that Salgado “was not the person agents were looking for,” and that Duran “had legal authorization to live and work in the U.S.”
Criticism, Opposition, and Calls for Reform
Families of the deceased, immigrant-rights groups, and local activists allege that agents acted on faulty assumptions, used disproportionate force, and failed to verify identities before lethal action. Protests in Minneapolis and other cities have intensified, demanding independent investigations, body-camera release, and stricter use-of-force guidelines for immigration officers.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Body-camera footage of Martinez shows him driving slowly, contradicting DHS’s claim of high speed.
- In the Villegas-Gonzalez case, the agent’s description of his own injuries as “nothing major” offers no corroboration of an imminent threat.
- No video evidence has been released for the December 11 2025 shooting in Rio Grande City, leaving the exact circumstances unclear.
Verbatim Quotes
- “In a police report, DHS said Martinez accelerated as he neared the scene of a road accident and struck two agents with his car, prompting one to shoot him through the driver's side window.” — DHS report
- “nothing major.” — ICE agent (body-camera footage)
- “The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon,” — DHS statement
- “According to a Border Patrol statement, the agent was trying to detain the man and struggled with him for two minutes before shooting him.” — CBP statement
Implications and Impact
The series of shootings underscores heightened tensions between federal immigration enforcement and immigrant communities under Trump’s second term. The lack of consistent video evidence and divergent agency narratives have fueled public distrust, prompting legislative proposals to increase oversight of immigration agents and to mandate transparent reporting of use-of-force incidents.
