Fatal ICE Shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez and the Growing Scrutiny of Traffic-Stop Policies

On the early morning of March 15, 2025, 23-year-old U.S. citizen Ruben Ray Martinez was shot dead by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a traffic stop on South Padre Island, Texas. After celebrating his birthday, Martinez approached a busy intersection where a prior crash had occurred. State and local body-camera footage released by the Texas Department of Public Safety shows Martinez receiving conflicting directions before slowly moving forward. The footage does not confirm that the vehicle struck an officer.

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Martinez’s death follows a series of fatal ICE shootings at traffic stops. The Trace, a nonprofit gun-violence newsroom, has documented 29 additional incidents in which immigration agents fired at civilians, at least seven of which were lethal. The Associated Press reports at least 10 fatalities during President Trump’s second term. In recent weeks, ICE agents killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas and Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine under similar circumstances, with DHS again alleging the men attempted to flee and weaponized their vehicles. An American Civil Liberties Union report identified dozens of incidents across eight states since January 2025 where immigration officers rammed vehicles, smashed windows, or struck people with cars. ICE agents have not been equipped with body cameras in any of these encounters.

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DHS has repeatedly framed the shootings as necessary self-defense, asserting that agents acted to protect public safety.

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In late February, a Texas grand jury declined to bring criminal charges against the agent who killed Martinez. Martinez’s family, represented by attorney Charles Stam, is exploring further legal options. The ACLU and watchdog group American Oversight have pressed for greater transparency; the latter obtained the DHS use-of-force documents after filing a public-records request. Minnesota authorities are still reviewing evidence in separate ICE-related deaths, highlighting the difficulty of prosecuting federal agents who enjoy broad legal protections.

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• “It really breaks my heart for the families because I understand the nightmare they're going through,” — Martinez. Rachel Reyes

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• “If a U.S. citizen killed by an ICE agent cannot get a serious federal investigation or an admission of fault, imagine the odds facing families whose immigration status is precarious, who lack legal representation, or whose loved one's death did not happen to be caught on camera,” — Charles Stam, rachel reyes' attorney

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