02/23/2026
Ruben Ray Martinez, 23-year-old American, was killed by ICE in March 2025. ICEβs involvement in the shooting was not disclosed until this week.
In a phone interview his mother said that her son was celebrating his birthday in South Padre Island, TX with a friend he had known since elementary school when he was killed, 5 days after he turned 23. Ms. Reyes said her son worked at an Amazon warehouse, liked to play video games and hang out with friends. "He was a typical young guy. He never really got a chance to go out and experience things. [His birthday] was his first time getting to go out of town. He was a nice guy, humble guy. And he wasn't a violent person at all."
The only reason that this has come to light now is because American Oversight, a nonprofit watchdog group based in Wahington obtained heavily redacted internal documents from ICE as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
DHS claimed he "ran over" an agent so they were acting in self defense. In the more recent killings in Minneapolis of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, DHS narratives were later challenged by videos recorded by bystanders. Unfortunately no footage of Martinez's killing has surfaced.
RIP Ruben Ray Martinez πππΌ