Her son was killed by ICE at a traffic stop. She says she’s still waiting for justice
Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old US citizen, was shot dead by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a traffic stop in South Padre Island, Texas, in the early hours of 15 March 2025. More than a year on, his mother, Rachel Reyes, says she is still fighting for accountability, after a Texas grand jury declined to charge the agent involved and the Department of Homeland Security took nearly a year to publicly confirm its role in his death.
Martinez was driving through a busy intersection where officers, including Homeland Security Investigations agents, were managing the aftermath of an earlier crash. DHS alleges he "intentionally ran over" an HSI officer, but body-camera footage reviewed by NPR shows him receiving conflicting directions from officers before slowly moving forward, and it remains unclear whether any contact actually took place. Reyes has criticised the handling of the case, saying it feels as though her son's life did not matter, and her lawyer says the family is exploring further legal avenues. The shooting occurred early in President Trump's second term amid a wider immigration enforcement crackdown, during which at least 10 people have died and more than 29 shootings involving immigration agents have been recorded since January 2025.
In short
- ICE agent fatally shot US citizen Ruben Ray Martinez at a Texas traffic stop
- Grand jury declined to charge the agent; DHS delayed acknowledging involvement
- Mother still seeking accountability amid wider surge in ICE shootings
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Law enforcement officers must make split-second decisions in inherently dangerous, chaotic situations. The DHS's assertion that an officer was run over suggests a genuine threat. The grand jury process, which reviewed all available evidence, represents the proper mechanism for evaluating such incidents, and their decision not to charge reflects a considered judgment based on facts the public may not fully know.
The case against
The body camera footage shows Martinez receiving conflicting instructions from multiple officers before slowly moving forward, which does not suggest imminent threat warranting lethal force. It remains unclear whether he actually made contact with an officer. The year-long delay in acknowledging DHS's involvement and continuing opacity about the investigation raise concerns about institutional transparency and accountability for a young citizen's death.
Explained simply
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a US federal agency that enforces immigration laws; Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), part of the same department, investigates a range of federal crimes. In March 2025, agents were managing the scene of an earlier crash at a busy intersection in South Padre Island, Texas, when Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old US citizen, drove through.
The Department of Homeland Security says Martinez deliberately hit an HSI officer. Body-camera footage reviewed by NPR shows officers giving him conflicting directions before he moved slowly forward, and it is not clear whether he made contact with anyone. An ICE agent shot and killed him.
A Texas grand jury declined to charge the agent, while Martinez’s mother, Rachel Reyes, and her lawyer are pursuing other ways to seek accountability. The case has drawn attention amid a wider increase in immigration enforcement and reports of shootings and deaths involving immigration agents.
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