A Texas Democrat is Demanding a Public Hearing of His Committee into the March 2025 Fatal Shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old U.S. Citizen, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Agent, whose Involvement was Disclosed in Newly Released Documents nearly a year after the Incident.
State Representative Ray Lopez (D-TX, 125th District) and is Vice Chair of the Texas House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety, and Veterans Affairs, is Invoking a Newly introduced State Legislative Rule for the 1st time. Under Rule 4, Section 6A of the Texas House Rules, which was Passed in the State’s 89th Legislature, Lopez can Officially Compel Committee Chairman Cole Hefner (R-5th District) to “promptly schedule” a Hearing on Martinez’s Death.
“When government uses its most serious power, the power to take a life, the facts cannot remain hidden,” Lopez said in a Statement. “A young Texan lost his life, and the public was left without full clarity for nearly a year. That is not about politics. It is about trust.”
Lopez added: “Under Rule 4, Section 6A of the House Rules, a Vice Chair has the authority to formally designate a matter for committee consideration. I have exercised that authority because the people of Texas deserve a transparent accounting of what occurred on March 15, 2025. The House Rules require that a designated matter be promptly scheduled. I expect that requirement to be honored consistent with both the letter and the spirit of the rules. The seriousness of this issue warrants timely action.”
He continued: “Because of the seriousness of these unanswered questions, I have formally invoked the House Rules to demand a public hearing. It is a rare step taken to ensure the people of Texas see the facts for themselves. When federal agents operate on Texas soil, transparency is not optional. It belongs to the people.” Martinez, from San Antonio, was Fatally Shot by an ICE Agent on South Padre Island on 3/15/2025. While His Death was Reported at the time, there was No mention that it had been at the Hands of a Federal Immigration Agent.
But New Details Emerged this Week, through Internal ICE Records obtained by "Watchdog American Oversight", via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request, which indicated a Federal Immigration Agent’s Involvement in the Fatal Shooting. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that a DHS Investigations Agent Fired “Defensive Shots” at a Person after the Driver “intentionally ran over” another Federal Agent. DHS Agents were at the Scene of the incident to Assist the South Padre Island Police Department following a Major Accident, the DHS said in a Statement. HSI is the Primary investigative arm of ICE, Rresponsible for Federal Criminal Investigations.
“A driver of a blue Ford intentionally ran over a Homeland Security Investigation special agent resulting in him being on the hood of the vehicle. Upon witnessing this, another agent fired defensive shots to protect himself, his fellow agents, and the general public,” a Spokesperson for the Agency said. “The driver was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. The agent who was run over sustained a knee injury and was taken to the hospital.” Christopher Olivarez, a Spokesperson with the Texas Department of Public Safety, said that there is an Open Iinvestigation into the Incident.
Lopez sent a Letter to Hefner, Demanding a Public Hearing into Martinez’s Shooting, saying that theMmatter called for “the careful and timely attention” of their Committee. “For nearly 12 months, neither the Department of Homeland Security, the Texas Department of Public Safety, nor the Texas Rangers publicly disclosed federal agent involvement in his death,” He wrote in the Document.
“As vice chair of this committee, and pursuant to Rule 4, Section 6A of the House Rules of Procedure, I am formally designating this matter for committee consideration and requesting that we work together to schedule a public hearing at the earliest appropriate opportunity,” Lopez added. For the San Antonio Lawmakers, the Way that Martinez’s Shooting was Reported, raises several Questions which should be Addressed by State Representatives.
“If an agent was struck with sufficient force to justify the use of lethal force by another officer, how was that determination made? What contemporaneous evidence exists, including body-worn or dash-camera footage? What was the sequence of communication among agents present? And what role did state agencies play in the investigation and subsequent public disclosure?” He wrote in His Letter.
A Haring would Force the Texas House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety, and Veterans Affairs, to Convene before the Public to Discuss Martinez’s Killing. This, Lopez said, “is the appropriate mechanism through which relevant facts can be examined transparently and placed before the people of Texas.”
Lopez said He is Not Invoking a Hearing “in a spirit of confrontation, but in fulfillment of our shared constitutional responsibility as members of the Texas House of Representatives.”
It is both His and Hefner’s Duty, He told His Committee’s Chair, “to ensure that when governmental authority is exercised on Texas soil, particularly in matters involving the loss of life, it is subject to appropriate transparency and review.”
Lopez has Requested a Written aAswer by Hefner, by the End of Business 2/23/2026. It is not yet Clear when a Public Hearing might be Scheduled.
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