Rep. Ray Lopez Demands Public Hearing After ICE Agent Killed 23-Year-Old U.S. Citizen Ruben Ray Martinez, Federal Role Hidden Nearly a Year

Texas state Representative Ray Lopez (D), vice chair of the Texas House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs, has formally demanded a public committee hearing into the March 15, 2025, fatal shooting of 23‑year‑old U.S. citizen Ruben Ray Martinez.

“Newly disclosed ICE documents describe a fatal shooting after midnight on South Padre Island in which Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents assisted local police redirecting traffic following a multi-vehicle crash”

Associated Press

Lopez took the step after newly released documents disclosed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) — agent’s involvement nearly a year after the incident.

Associated Press

He invoked Rule 4, Section 6A from the 89th Texas Legislature, which he says enables him to compel Committee Chairman Cole Hefner (R) to promptly schedule the hearing.

Lopez requested a written response by the end of business Feb. 23.

Lopez said the move was necessary because the public was entitled to full clarity when government uses 'its most serious power, the power to take a life,' and multiple outlets note this appears to be the first public use of that new rule.

Heavily redacted ICE/HSI records obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests by watchdog American Oversight and first reported by Newsweek describe an encounter in the early hours of March 15.

The records say HSI agents who were assisting local police after a multi‑vehicle crash ordered a blue Ford to stop and then surrounded the vehicle.

Austin American-Statesman

The agents say the driver accelerated and struck an HSI special agent, who landed on the hood.

A supervisory HSI agent then fired multiple rounds through the open driver’s window.

The driver, identified by his mother as 23‑year‑old Ruben Ray Martinez of San Antonio, was taken to a Brownsville hospital and pronounced dead.

DHS/ICE statements quoted in several outlets characterize the shooting as defensive, saying the driver "intentionally ran over" the agent and that another agent fired "defensive shots."

Some reports note the federal account has not been independently verified.

The disclosure of HSI’s involvement roughly 11 months after the March shooting has provoked sharp reactions and demands for more transparency.

“Updated on: February 21, 2026 / 6:14 PM EST/ CBS News A Texas Democratic lawmaker is invoking a newly created state legislative rule to force a public hearing into the March 2025 fatal shooting of a 23-year-old U”

CBS News

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office criticized the delay, Rep. Joaquin Castro called the late disclosure a 'coverup,' and Texas Democrats and family attorneys have sought federal probes, independent inquiries and the release of video or body-camera footage that some officials say may exist and could contradict the federal account.

Several outlets note the Texas Rangers and the Department of Public Safety are investigating, and federal officials have yet to explain the lag in public notice.

The Texas Department of Public Safety says the investigation is active and a state probe completed in October could be presented to a grand jury.

The Texas Rangers are leading a criminal inquiry, and family attorneys have demanded an independent inquiry and release of footage.

CNN

Several accounts say the internal ICE 'significant incident' report and other records were heavily redacted.

Some local police say they did not fire, and the presence of HSI agents assisting with traffic control after a crash raises questions about when and how federal agents became involved.

Mainstream outlets (CBS News, Newsweek, WOAI) center on Lopez’s procedural invocation and oversight demand.

“An American citizen, 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez, was shot and killed by an ICE (Homeland Security Investigations) agent on March 15, 2025, in South Padre Island, Texas, according to newly released documents from watchdog group American Oversight reviewed by the Daily Mail and first reported by Newsweek”

Daily Mail

Other outlets (El-Balad, SSBCrack News, Mediaite) situate the killing within a wider national debate on intensified immigration enforcement during the Trump administration.

Daily Mail

Those outlets also note the case is among several fatal encounters involving federal agents this year.

El-Balad mentions potential legislative responses and increased salience in Texas primaries.

Some local coverage says the case could prompt committee action or policy proposals.