Over a Year Later, a San Antonio Family Still Lacks Answers in ICE Shooting

More than a year has passed since San Antonio native Ruben Ray Martinez was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent on South Padre Island in March 2025. More than a year later, his family’s still looking for answers. 

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The case returned to the spotlight this month after recent reporting by the Texas Tribune and El Paso Times, among other outlets, examined deaths connected to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Texas. At least 14 people have died in ICE custody in the state since 2025, alongside several fatal encounters involving immigration agents.

Martinez’s death is one of those cases.

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What Happened on South Padre Island

According to the Texas Tribune, Martinez traveled to South Padre Island in March 2025 with his childhood best friend, Joshua Orta, to celebrate a belated birthday.

That night, the two were trying to drive around a traffic accident when they encountered Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Homeland Security Investigations agents, a federal law enforcement agency within the Department of Homeland Security.

According to Agent Jack Stevens, Martinez ignored commands to stop, accelerated his vehicle, and struck another agent. Stevens said he then fired several rounds through the driver’s side window. 

But body-camera footage released months later raised questions about that account. The video shows Martinez’s brake lights illuminated before the shooting. It does not clearly show him striking the agent with his vehicle, though the footage does not capture every angle of the encounter. 

Martinez was pulled from the car, handcuffed, and taken to a Brownsville hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to the Texas Tribune, he’s believed to be the first known U.S. citizen killed by immigration agents during President Donald Trump’s second term.

A Family Searching for Answers

Martinez’s mother, Rachel Reyes, said in a PBS interview that she didn’t initially know a federal immigration agent was responsible for her son’s death. Reyes said a state trooper described the shooting as an accident, telling her Martinez had driven into a lane he wasn’t supposed to be in and had “tapped” an officer before shots were fired.

It wasn’t until months later, after public records requests and news reporting, that the family learned an immigration agent had fired the fatal shots.

Joshua Orta, who was sitting in the passenger seat that night and who died in a crash 11 months after the incident, consistently disputed the agents’ version of events. CNN reported that Orta stated in interviews following the incident that Martinesz didn’t hit an agent with his vehicle and that the shooting happened without any prior “warning, commands, or opportunity to comply.”

In February 2026, a Cameron County grand jury declined to indict the agents involved in the shooting. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons later said the agency stands by the grand jury’s decision.

Where the Case Stands today

Although the criminal investigation has concluded, Martinez’s family continues to seek more information about the events leading up to the shooting.

The release of body-camera footage, investigative records, and witness interviews has answered some questions while raising others about how the encounter unfolded and whether deadly force was necessary.

For now, the case is closed from a criminal standpoint.

For Martinez’s family, questions remain.

More than a year after he left San Antonio for what was supposed to be a birthday trip with his best friend, they’re still waiting for a full public accounting of what happened that night.