I am writing as your constituent to demand immediate and uncompromising congressional action regarding the killing 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 ICE agents killed this young man. Eleven months passed before officials even acknowledged the shooting. That delay alone is unacceptable. Now, newly released body-camera footage appears to directly contradict the justification federal authorities provided for taking his life.
The Department of Homeland Security claimed Mr. Martinez accelerated his vehicle and struck an agent, forcing officers to fire in self-defense. Yet the footage reportedly shows his car stationary—or moving so slowly that its brake lights were on—when he was shot. That is not a minor discrepancy. That is the difference between a justified use of force and a potential unlawful killing.
After being shot three times, Mr. Martinez was reportedly pulled from his vehicle, forced face-down onto the ground, and handcuffed. Officers did not provide immediate medical aid. This raises a deeply troubling question: why was restraint prioritized over preserving the life of a wounded American citizen?
This case is not an isolated concern—it is part of a disturbing pattern. Federal immigration agents appear to be operating with increasing force and decreasing accountability. Americans are left to wonder whether any oversight exists at all when a citizen can be killed and the truth withheld for nearly a year.
Congress has a constitutional duty to oversee federal law enforcement. That duty is not optional, and it is not symbolic. It is your responsibility to act—especially when the life of an American has been taken under circumstances that now appear deeply suspect.
I am demanding the following actions without delay:
1. Open a full and public congressional investigation into the killing of Ruben Ray Martinez.
2. Subpoena all body-camera footage, internal reports, and communications related to this incident.
3. Require sworn testimony from the agents involved, as well as leadership from ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.
4. Request an independent civil rights investigation by the Department of Justice.
No federal agency should be allowed to kill a U.S. citizen and then control the narrative in secrecy. No agency should be shielded from scrutiny when evidence contradicts its claims. And no family should be forced to wait nearly a year to learn the truth about how their loved one died.
This demands accountability. This demands transparency. And above all, this demands justice.
I expect Congress to act.
Sign Petition
