Records show ICE agent fatally shot U.S. citizen nearly a year ago in Texas

Ruben Ray Martinez was fatally shot in South Padre Island, Texas, in March 2025. ICE's involvement in the shooting was not disclosed until more than 11 months after the shooting. Exclusive Politics Records show ICE agent fatally shot U.S. citizen nearly a year ago in Texas, as lawmaker seeks public hearing By Fin Daniel Gómez, Fin Daniel Gómez Political Director and Executive Director of Politics and White House, CBS News Fin Daniel Gómez is CBS News' political director and executive director, Politics and White House. In this role, Gómez oversees the daily White House and political coverage for CBS News and works closely with Washington bureau leadership to inform the Network's political coverage. Read Full Bio Fin Daniel Gómez, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, Camilo Montoya-Galvez Immigration Correspondent Camilo Montoya-Galvez is the Immigration Correspondent at CBS News, where his reporting is featured across multiple programs and platforms, including national broadcast shows, CBS News 24/7, CBSNews.com and the organization's social media accounts. Read Full Bio Camilo Montoya-Galvez, Nidia Cavazos Updated on: February 21, 2026 / 6:14 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google A Texas Democratic lawmaker is invoking a newly created state legislative rule to force a public hearing into the March 2025 fatal shooting of a 23-year-old U.S. citizen by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, a case raising further transparency and oversight questions about the officials enforcing President Trump's deportation crackdown.The proposed hearing would examine the shooting death of Ruben Ray Martinez in South Padre Island, Texas, on March 15, 2025. While his death was reported at the time, ICE's involvement in the shooting was not disclosed until this week, over 11 months after the shooting.Democratic Texas state Rep. Ray Lopez, who serves as vice chair of the Texas House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety and Veterans' Affairs, said he formally exercised authority under Rule 4, Section 6A of the Texas House Rules to compel Committee Chairman Cole Hefner, a Republican, to schedule a hearing on Martinez's death. An undated photo of Ruben Ray Martinez, who was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on March 15, 2025, in South Padre Island, Texas. Rachel Reyes Lopez said it is the first public use of the provision, which was adopted during the 89th Legislative Session that concluded last June. The rule requires a committee chair to "promptly schedule" a hearing designated by the vice chair. Lopez requested a written response from Hefner by the end of business on Feb. 23. It was not immediately clear when a hearing might be scheduled.Local news outlets in Texas reported on Martinez' killing last year, but the involvement of federal immigration agents in the fatal shooting was first revealed earlier this week by Newsweek, which used government documents recently released by the American Oversight Project, a nonprofit ethics watchdog, to connect the death with an internal ICE report.The internal ICE report, which redacts Martinez's name, stated that the March 15 incident involved agents from Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of ICE, who were helping South Padre Island police officers control traffic in the late night hours following a major car accident.The report describes a blue Ford approaching the area where the ICE agents were directing traffic. The driver of the vehicle "failed to follow instructions," the internal report reads, and tried to continue driving. After commands from the agents, the report said the vehicle "slowed to a stop." The agents surrounded the car and directed the driver to exit the vehicle, the report said. The driver then "accelerated forward" and struck one of the ICE agents, according to the report, which said the federal officer "wound up on the hood of the vehicle." At that point, according to the report, another ICE agent fired "multiple rounds" at the driver through an open side window. The driver was given first aid and then transferred to a hospital in Brownsville, where the report said he was pronounced dead. A passenger who was in the vehicle, also a U.S. citizen whose name was redacted, was taken into custody at the scene by South Padre Island police, the report states.The agent who was struck by the vehicle was taken to an area hospital with a knee injury, where they were treated and released, ICE said in its report. In a statement provided to CBS News, the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, confirmed the fatal shooting, alleging that the driver "intentionally ran over a Homeland Security Investigation special agent resulting in him being on the hood of the vehicle. Upon witnessing this, another agent fired defensive shots to protect himself, his fellow agents, and the general public." DHS said the incident is under investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety's Ranger Division, and deferred questions to Texas DPS. Christopher Olivarez, a Texas DPS spokesperson, confirmed to CBS News Saturday that an investigation was underway, adding, "We have no further