According to the Associated Press, at least six people have died since the start of a nationwide immigration crackdown in President Trump’s second term. Of those six, at least two people were shot and killed by federal immigration officers. Both were U.S. citizens. 

However, new records show that months before those deadly shootings, Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen was shot dead at South Padre Island last March. Nearly a year later, records would reveal that ICE agents were involved in his murder. 

Records: Ice Agents Were Assisting Local Police

Records released by American Oversight show that on March 15, an ICE agent fatally shot Martinez multiple times while helping local police redirect traffic around the scene of a car crash. 

Those same records say that Martinez “failed to follow instructions,” but eventually came to a stop. Agents then asked Martinez and his passenger to get out of the vehicle, but Martinez reportedly “accelerated forward,” striking a Homeland Security Investigations agent. That prompted another special agent to fire several rounds through Martinez’s open window. 

While local media reported on the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not say what agency was involved. 

DHS also reportedly stated the agent fired rounds to “protect himself, his fellow agents, and the general public.” Under DHS policy, immigration officers may use deadly force only when there is a reasonable belief that the subject poses an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury. However, records show Martinez was unarmed at the time of the shooting. 

The only passenger in Martinez’s car, Joshua Orta, also disputed DHS’s statement. 

According to American Oversight, Orta stated Martinez was trying to comply with officers and did not run over the agent. Orta, who had planned to speak up against the shooting, died last month in a car accident in San Antonio. He was 25-years-old.

Leaders Demand Answers and Accountability

While the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Rangers are still looking into the shooting, some local, federal and state leaders are taking action of their own. 

State Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin is requesting body cam footage of the shooting. San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz is calling for a congressional investigation. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro is also calling for a full investigation. According to the Associated Press, Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz has not responded to the shooting. The South Padre Island Police Chief also has not made any public comments. Gov. Greg Abbott has also declined to comment.

Martinez Marks the Earliest of Deaths at the Hands of ICE

News of the records, which were released last month as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, comes as the nation calls to stop these immigration sweeps, especially after the death of two Americans in Minneapolis.

37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed in the driver seat of her SUV by an ICE agent in January. Later that same month, Alex Pretti, also 37-years-old, would also be shot dead by a Border Patrol officer. The death of Ruben Ray Martinez would mark the earliest of these deadly shootings by federal officers since the start of Trump’s immigration crackdown. 

So far, no officers have been charged in their deaths.