1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am writing to demand an immediate congressional investigation into the fatal shooting of 23-year-old American citizen Ruben Ray Martinez by agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on March 15, 2025, in South Padre Island, Texas. For nearly a year, the federal government concealed the fact that an ICE agent killed this young man. It was only 11 months later that officials finally confirmed the shooting. Now newly released body-camera footage appears to directly contradict the justification federal authorities gave for taking his life. Officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security claimed that Martinez had “accelerated” and intentionally struck an agent with his vehicle, forcing an officer to fire in self-defense. But the newly revealed footage reportedly shows Martinez’s car stationary or moving extremely slowly with the brake lights on when shots were fired. After being shot three times, Martinez was reportedly pulled from his vehicle, thrown face-down to the ground, and handcuffed, while officers are not seen providing medical care until after he was restrained. These facts raise grave questions that Congress cannot ignore: • Why was the public kept in the dark for nearly a year about the killing of a U.S. citizen by federal agents? • Why do the official statements from federal authorities appear to conflict with the video evidence? • Why was lethal force used against a man whose vehicle appears to have been stopped or barely moving? • Why was medical aid delayed after he was shot? This is not simply about one tragic death. It is about whether federal agents can kill an American citizen and then control the narrative for nearly a year without oversight or accountability. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to oversee federal law-enforcement agencies. That duty includes oversight of both the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when their actions result in the death of a civilian. Therefore, I demand that Congress: 1. Open a full congressional investigation into the killing of Ruben Ray Martinez. 2. Subpoena all body-camera footage, internal reports, and communications related to the incident. 3. Require testimony from the agents involved and leadership at ICE and DHS. 4. Request an independent civil-rights review by the United States Department of Justice. No federal agency should be allowed to operate beyond scrutiny, and no American should lose their life at the hands of federal officers without a transparent and independent investigation. The American people deserve answers, and the family of Ruben Ray Martinez deserves justice.