Trump Supporter Rachel Reyes Seeks Accountability as New Body Cam Footage Reveals ICE Agent Shooting Her Son

A grieving mother who once backed Donald Trump is demanding answers after newly released body camera footage revealed the chaotic moments before an ICE agent fatally shot her 23-year-old son.

The videos, released by the Texas Department of Public Safety, show the tense moments before the shooting in the coastal community of South Padre Island on 15 March 2025. The footage has reignited debate over the circumstances of the incident and prompted fresh calls for transparency and accountability from Martinez's family.

His mother, Rachel Reyes, who voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, has now publicly demanded reforms to address what she describes as a troubling pattern of 'abuse and impunity' within federal immigration enforcement agencies.

Chaos at a Night-Time Traffic Scene

According to reports, Martinez was driving a blue Ford Fusion near the site of a road accident where ICE officers were helping direct traffic when the fatal encounter occurred. In the body camera footage, he is seen rolling down his window and speaking with officers before slowly moving his car forward towards an intersection.

Moments later, officers can be heard shouting 'Where is he going?' as the vehicle begins to move. Gunshots ring out seconds afterwards.

The footage, captured from several yards behind the vehicle, does not clearly show whether any officer was struck by the car before the shots were fired, leaving crucial details open to interpretation. The videos were released publicly after Texas authorities had previously declined to share them with journalists or the public.

Conflicting Accounts of What Happened

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, previously said Martinez 'accelerated forward' and 'intentionally ran over' an agent, prompting another officer to fire 'defensive shots'. However, attorneys representing Martinez's family argue that the footage contradicts the official account.

Lawyers Charles Stam and Alex Stamm said the recordings raise serious doubts about the federal government's version of events. 'These new videos confirm that Ruben's car was barely moving when he was shot,' they said in a statement.

'That he was braking, not accelerating. That nobody was on the hood of his car. That nobody was in front of his car when he was shot.'

They added that Martinez appeared to have been 'shot at point-blank range through his side window by an ICE agent who was in no danger'.

Investigation Records Released

The newly published material includes dozens of body camera videos, investigative reports and evidence gathered by authorities. One internal report from a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officer claimed a blue car stopped 'at the feet of an unknown Homeland Security Investigations agent'.

The report further alleged that another agent attempted to open the driver's door before the car moved forward and struck an officer. According to the document, an agent then shouted for the driver to stop before drawing a firearm and firing 'what sounded like three shots' into the driver's side window.

Yet the available footage has not conclusively confirmed whether an officer was actually struck by the vehicle.

The Passenger Who Contradicted DHS

Posthumous toxicology tests later detected alcohol and marijuana in Martinez's system. A passenger in the car, Martinez's friend Joshua Orta, had previously disputed the government's account of events.

In a draft declaration—never formally sworn or filed—obtained by US media, Orta claimed Martinez did not hit an officer with the vehicle and said the pair had been told by an officer to 'turn around and leave' after arriving at the scene. He also alleged that an agent fired into the vehicle without warning. Orta died last month in an unrelated car accident before the declaration could be formalised or tested in court.

Legal Outcome and Public Reaction

Despite the controversy surrounding the case, a Texas grand jury declined to indict the federal agent involved in the shooting last month. ICE did not publicly confirm that one of its agents had killed Martinez until February 2026, nearly 11 months after the shooting. The decision has intensified criticism from civil liberties advocates who argue that the release of the footage raises unanswered questions about the use of lethal force by federal officers.

Martinez is believed to be one of three US citizens fatally shot by immigration agents during Donald Trump's second presidential term. Unlike the two other victims, who were killed during anti-ICE enforcement protests in Minneapolis in January 2026, Martinez was not demonstrating and appeared to have encountered officers by chance while driving near the accident scene.

A Mother's Call For Reform

For Rachel Reyes, the case has become both personal and political. Speaking earlier this year, she emphasised that she does not hold the president personally responsible for her son's death.

'I don't blame President Trump for the death of my son, 'cause he wasn't the one who pulled the trigger,' she told CBS.

However, she insisted systemic changes were necessary to prevent similar tragedies. 'But I do think that something needs to be changed in that department as far as the pattern of violence or abuse and impunity.'

As the newly released footage continues to circulate online and investigators face renewed scrutiny, Reyes says her fight is no longer just about her son. It is about ensuring that what happened to Ruben Ray Martinez does not happen again.