Newly disclosed internal records from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have revealed that a federal agent shot and killed 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez during a traffic-control operation in South Padre Island, Texas, on March 15, 2025 — details that were not publicly confirmed at the time of the incident.
According to internal ICE Homeland Security Investigations documentation later obtained through a public-records request, the shooting occurred while members of the HSI Harlingen BEST Maritime Group were assisting the South Padre Island Police Department with traffic management following a major vehicle accident near the intersection of Padre Boulevard and Marlin Street.
The internal account states that a blue four-door Ford approached a restricted traffic area around 12:40 a.m. Agents reportedly issued verbal commands instructing the driver to stop.
ICE records indicate that as officers surrounded the vehicle and ordered the driver to exit, the driver accelerated forward, striking an HSI special agent, who ended up on the hood of the vehicle.
A supervisory special agent then discharged multiple rounds through the open driver-side window.
Ruben Ray Martinez, identified through contemporaneous local reporting as the driver, was transported by emergency personnel to Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville, where he was later pronounced dead.
A passenger in the vehicle was taken into custody by the South Padre Island Police Department pending charges. Internal ICE documentation described both Martinez and the passenger as U.S. citizens.
At the time of the shooting, local authorities did not publicly identify ICE or Homeland Security Investigations as the agency involved in the use of deadly force.
South Padre Island City Manager Randy Smith previously confirmed that local police officers were not the ones who fired their weapons.
The Texas Rangers, a division of the Texas Department of Public Safety, are leading the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.
Sheridan Nolen, press secretary for the Texas Department of Public Safety, has stated that the case remains under active investigation and that no additional information is currently being released.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department confirmed that its game wardens were assisting with traffic control at the scene but were not involved in the shooting itself.
The South Padre Island Police Department has also indicated that it is not the lead investigative agency and has referred further inquiries to the Texas Rangers.
ICE records note that notifications were made to the ICE Joint Intelligence Operations Center, the Office of Professional Responsibility, and ICE Domestic Operations following the incident.
No property damage was reported in the internal summary, and the injured federal agent was treated for a knee injury and later released from a hospital.
Martinez’s family described him in an online obituary as “humble, kind, and adventurous,” expressing shock and grief over his sudden death.
The disclosure of ICE involvement in Martinez’s death comes amid broader national scrutiny over use-of-force incidents involving federal immigration agents. In January 2026, two separate fatal encounters in Minneapolis intensified debate.
On January 7, Renée Nicole Good, 37, was shot and killed during an immigration enforcement operation.
Later that month, on January 24, Alex Pretti, also 37, was fatally shot during a related federal deployment. Both cases prompted public protests and bipartisan calls for independent reviews.
As of this week, the Texas Rangers’ investigation into the death of Ruben Ray Martinez remains ongoing.
Federal and state authorities have not yet released body camera footage, dash camera recordings, or final investigative findings.
