Key eyewitness to ICE agent’s fatal shooting of U.S. citizen mysteriously dies in car crash, silencing challenge to federal self-defense claim and raising alarms about accountability under President Trump’s deportation push.
Story Highlights
- ICE HSI agent shot 23-year-old U.S. citizen Ruben Ray Martinez during March 2025 traffic stop in South Padre Island, Texas; DHS claims defensive action after vehicle strike.
- Passenger Joshua Orta, lifelong friend, dictated declaration disputing account: car barely moving, no collision, shots fired at close range without warning.
- Orta’s recent death in unrelated car accident eliminates crucial testimony, tilting case toward official narrative.
- Delayed revelation of ICE role—11 months later—sparks questions on federal overreach in local policing.
- Texas DPS investigation ongoing; family eyes wrongful death suit amid pattern of ICE shootings.
Incident Details Unfold
On March 15, 2025, late night in South Padre Island, Texas, Ruben Ray Martinez drove his blue Ford into a chaotic traffic checkpoint set up after a major car accident. South Padre Island police requested ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents for aid. Officers spotted an open alcohol container and instructed Martinez to turn around. An ICE agent approached the driver’s side and fired multiple shots from about two feet away. Martinez, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen from San Antonio working at Amazon and Walmart, said “I’m sorry” before slumping over, pronounced dead at Brownsville hospital.
Dueling Narratives Emerge
DHS and ICE maintain Martinez intentionally struck an agent with his vehicle, injuring the agent’s knee, justifying defensive shots. Joshua Orta, Martinez’s passenger and pre-K friend, dictated a declaration to attorneys stating the car moved barely at all, no one was hit, and shots came without warning while Martinez remained unarmed and non-violent. This account paints a picture of potential excessive force during routine traffic control, not immigration enforcement. ICE often assists local police in such non-immigration tasks, blurring lines between federal and state roles.
Critical Witness Silenced
Orta’s declaration, though unsigned, surfaced via attorney Alex Stamm representing Martinez’s family. Stamm emphasized Orta described a slow-moving vehicle with no collision, calling the shooting unjustified. Tragically, Orta died in an unrelated car accident early Saturday before February 24, 2026, stories broke. This loss complicates verification and accountability, as lawyers planned to interview him. The family now pursues a potential wrongful death claim against a confirmed American citizen, not an immigrant.
Internal ICE report, redacted and obtained by nonprofit American Oversight through FOIA, revealed federal involvement 11 months after local news omitted it. Reporter Edgar Sandoval of NYT/TPR detailed the chaos: instructions to leave ignored amid post-accident disorder with multiple agencies. DHS reiterated its stance in February 2026, deferring to Texas DPS Ranger Division’s ongoing probe, with no charges announced.
Broader ICE Scrutiny Mounts
This case fits a pattern of ICE use-of-force questions, including a 2026 Minneapolis shooting of U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good deemed unjustified by critics, plus six custody deaths and two fatal shootings early 2026. Conservatives cheer Trump’s mass deportation efforts to secure borders and end Biden-era chaos like open invitations to illegals fueling crime and inflation. Yet even citizens face risks when feds insert into local traffic stops, eroding limited government principles. Training gaps in non-enforcement roles demand review to protect American lives without undermining law enforcement.
Socially, San Antonio and Texas Latino communities express wariness of federal policing overreach. Politically, it highlights tensions in ICE-local collaborations amid 2026’s shooting cluster. Short-term, eyewitness death delays justice; long-term, a lawsuit could set precedents for HSI civilian interactions, ensuring agents prioritize de-escalation over hasty triggers.
Sources:
Friend of U.S. Citizen Killed by ICE Agent Disputes Official Account of Shooting.
Admonishing ICE Tactics and Recruitment After Minneapolis Shooting
