1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I am writing to demand accountability for the fatal shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old US citizen killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on March 15, 2025, in South Padre Island, Texas. Newly released body camera footage contradicts the official account provided by the Department of Homeland Security, raising serious questions about the use of deadly force and the lack of transparency surrounding this incident. DHS claims Martinez "intentionally ran over" an agent, justifying the shooting as defensive. However, attorneys Charles Stam and Alex Stamm, representing Martinez's mother Rachel Reyes, state the footage shows Martinez's car was "barely moving when he was shot" and that he was "braking, not accelerating." The video confirms "nobody was on the hood of his car" and "nobody was in front of his car when he was shot." Martinez was shot at point-blank range through his side window by an agent who, according to the attorneys, "was in no danger." The Department of Homeland Security did not publicly disclose this shooting until media reports emerged weeks later. This lack of transparency is unacceptable when a federal agent kills an American citizen. A Texas grand jury declined to indict the agent, but the discrepancies between the official narrative and the evidence demand further scrutiny. Martinez is believed to be the first of three US citizens fatally shot by federal immigration agents during this administration. His mother, Rachel Reyes, stated that "something needs to be changed in that department as far as the pattern of violence or abuse and impunity." She received no videos, evidence, or reports about her son's death until recently. I urge you to call for an independent investigation into this shooting and to support legislation requiring immediate public disclosure when federal agents use deadly force against American citizens. Federal law enforcement must be held to the highest standards of accountability and transparency. The Martinez family and the American people deserve answers and assurance that such incidents will be thoroughly investigated.