'No peace': Nearly a year after her son's death, she learned that ICE was responsible

Immigration 'No peace': Nearly a year after her son's death, she learned that ICE was responsible April 15, 20265:00 AM ET Juliana Kim Rachel Reyes, holds a photo of her son, Ruben Ray Martinez, a U.S. citizen who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a traffic encounter in Texas. Brenda Bazán for NPR hide caption toggle caption Brenda Bazán for NPR When Rachel Reyes thinks back to her son's final days, she remembers how excited he was for the year ahead. Ruben Ray Martinez had just turned 23. Reyes said her son planned to enroll in trade school to become a mechanic. He felt ready to move out of his family's home in San Antonio and had found an apartment he liked, she added. But on March 15, 2025, Martinez, a U.S. citizen, was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a traffic encounter in Texas. He's considered the first of at least six people to have been killed by immigration agents since the start of President Trump's second term, according to The Trace, an outlet focused on covering gun violence. Sponsor Message "He would speak with enthusiasm, like he was looking forward to doing things. He thought he'd have more time," she said. "We all thought he would have more time." News Months after the ICE shootings in Minnesota, a federal probe remains elusive Martinez's death came nearly a year before immigration agents fatally shot Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti in separate incidents in Minneapolis. And during that time, Martinez's mother and the public didn't know that the officer who killed Martinez worked for ICE. That only came to light following a public records request by American Oversight, a watchdog group, that sought documents related to ICE's use of force. Among the records was an ICE incident report that said Martinez accelerated his car and struck a federal agent, prompting another officer to fire defensive shots. But videos released separately last month suggest a different version o...