New Documents Expose Concealed ICE Fatal Shooting
Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, was killed by a federal agent in South Padre Island in March 2025, multiple outlets reported Friday, citing internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records released by nonprofit watchdog American Oversight. The operation was carried out jointly by ICE agents and local police. At the time, the incident was reported by local media as a standard officer-involved shooting, with the federal dimension remaining concealed until the documents surfaced earlier this week.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement cited by multiple outlets that Martinez was shot after he "intentionally ran over a Homeland Security Investigation special agent" during a traffic stop.
Democratic Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro swiftly accused ICE of deliberately burying the case. "I am calling for a full investigation into this shooting, including why there was an 8-month cover up," he wrote on X on Saturday.
Third Known Death Linked to Immigration Crackdown
Martinez's killing predates the January shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis — deaths that sparked a nationwide wave of public fury and prompted border czar Tom Homan to scale back the federal agent deployment in the city. Together, the three cases now represent the known toll of civilian fatalities directly tied to Trump's second-term immigration offensive.
Speaking to NBC News in February, Trump conceded his administration could have applied "a little bit of a softer touch," while maintaining that the crackdown is focused on "really hard criminals." Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said last week that roughly half of the 1.6 million undocumented immigrants with final deportation orders are convicted criminals.
Public Support Eroding
Despite the administration's defense of its tactics, American public opinion is shifting. A recent Ipsos poll conducted for the Washington Post and ABC News, published Friday, found that approximately 58% of Americans believe deportations are "going too far," while 62% oppose the aggressive enforcement methods employed by ICE — a significant warning sign for an initiative that has defined Trump's early second term.
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