Mother of US Citizen Killed by ICE Still Seeks Justice
When Rachel Reyes learned about the recent deaths of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine at the hands of federal immigration agents, she had flashbacks to what happened to her son 16 months ago. “It really breaks my heart for the families because I understand the nightmare they’re going through,” Reyes told NPR.
Her son, Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen from San Antonio, Texas, was fatally shot by a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent during a traffic encounter on South Padre Island on March 15, 2025 — just two months into President Trump’s second term and the start of his aggressive immigration enforcement campaign.
The Shooting and Conflicting Accounts
Martinez was celebrating his birthday on South Padre Island when, just after midnight, he approached a busy intersection where a car crash had occurred hours earlier. Multiple law enforcement agencies were on scene, including South Padre Island Police, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and HSI — a branch of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that Martinez “intentionally ran over” an HSI officer, prompting another agent to fire “defensive shots.” The agency said the officer who made contact with the vehicle sustained a knee injury and was hospitalized.
However, body camera footage released by the Texas Department of Public Safety tells a more complicated story. The videos show Martinez receiving conflicting directions from officers before his car slowly moved forward and to the left. It remains unclear from the footage reviewed by NPR whether the vehicle actually struck an agent. The entire encounter lasted less than 30 seconds.
Joshua Orta, Martinez’s passenger and the only civilian witness, provided a written statement before his death in an unrelated car crash in February 2026. He wrote that Martinez “did not hit anyone” and that an agent approached the front of the car, slapped the hood, and “without giving any warning, commands, or opportunity to comply, the agent fired multiple shots at Ruben from an extremely close distance — no more than two feet.” Orta wrote that he heard Martinez say “I’m sorry” before slumping backward, as Texas Public Radio reported.
A Long Road to Accountability
It took 11 months for DHS to publicly acknowledge its involvement in Martinez’s death. The disclosure only came after American Oversight, a watchdog group, filed a public records request for documents related to ICE’s use of force, as American Oversight documented.
In late February 2026, a Cameron County grand jury declined to bring charges against HSI Supervisory Special Agent Jack Stevens, the officer who fired the fatal shots. ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons defended the decision, stating, “We stand by the grand jury’s unanimous decision that found no criminality.”
Reyes’ attorney, Charles Stam, told NPR that the family is exploring all legal options. “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,” Stam said.
Reyes recently published an op-ed in The New York Times calling for greater transparency and accountability in ICE shootings. “It’s just really upsetting, the whole thing, because I know what it feels like, and it’s incredibly frustrating to be treated like if your loved one’s life doesn’t matter,” she said.
A Pattern of Deadly Encounters
Martinez’s death was not an isolated incident. Since his killing, The Trace has documented 29 additional instances in which immigration agents shot at civilians — at least seven of which turned deadly. The Associated Press reports at least 10 fatalities during Trump’s second term.
In the recent cases of Salgado Araujo and Durán Guerrero, DHS gave similar accounts, claiming both men attempted to flee traffic stops and weaponized their vehicles. However, passengers in Salgado Araujo’s van have disputed ICE’s account, as Houston Public Media reported. In both incidents, ICE agents were not wearing body cameras.
DHS pledged to equip all immigration agents with body cameras months ago, but that has not yet been implemented, according to NPR. A recent ACLU report found dozens of incidents across eight states since January 2025 where immigration officers rammed into cars, smashed vehicle windows, and struck people with vehicles.
Policy Reversal and Political Pressure
Following the two deadly traffic stops in July 2026, DHS planned to halt nonurgent vehicle stops. But President Trump overruled the decision, posting on Truth Social that traffic stops “CANNOT” be given up, calling them “one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later affirmed that vehicle stops are “a necessary tool that ICE agents need in order to continue their deportation campaign.”
What Comes Next
Reyes says she hoped for change when Markwayne Mullin took over leadership of DHS in March, but after the recent shootings, she feels at a loss about what it will take to see accountability. “It shouldn’t be our new normal,” she said. “They’re destroying more families with all this chaos, and it’s not right.”
Meanwhile, in Minnesota, it remains unclear whether federal immigration agents responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti will face charges. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty recently received evidence that had been withheld by the Justice Department, according to MPR News.
Prosecuting federal agents remains difficult and relatively rare, as they typically have broad legal protections while carrying out their duties. The question of whether the Justice Department will conduct a federal investigation into Martinez’s death — and whether Congress will hold hearings on ICE use of force — remains unanswered.
For Reyes, the pain is personal and unrelenting. “It’s like a constant state of unrest,” she told NPR in April. “There was no peace and I still don’t have peace.”