In memory of Ruben Ray Martinez of San Antonio.

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90R6322 TBO-F

By: Martinez Fischer
H.R. No. 9

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Ruben Ray Martinez of San Antonio was tragically

killed by an agent of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on

March 15, 2025, just days after his 23rd birthday; and

WHEREAS, Ruben Martinez was born on March 10, 2002, the son of

Rachel Reyes, and his family also included his stepfather, Raymond

Reyes, and two siblings, Ricky and Cassandra; he grew up in San

Antonio's Southside neighborhood, and he worked at a local Amazon

warehouse for five years; admired for his kind heart and

adventurous spirit, he had a talent for making people laugh, and he

treasured time spent with his many friends and loved ones; his

interests included video games, mixed martial arts, and basketball,

and he was an avid fan of the San Antonio Spurs; he also enjoyed

fixing things, especially cars, and he had plans to enroll in trade

school to become a mechanic; and

WHEREAS, On March 14, Mr. Martinez and his close friend since

childhood, Joshua Orta, set out on an overnight trip to South Padre

Island; they arrived late Friday afternoon, spent the evening with

friends, and stopped at a Whataburger shortly before midnight; with

Mr. Martinez behind the wheel, they began driving back to the

apartment where they were staying and came across a car accident

that blocked a busy intersection; law enforcement officers from

multiple agencies were at the scene redirecting traffic, and

Mr. Martinez slowed his vehicle to a crawl as he approached;

available video, witness accounts, and police reports detail a

chaotic series of events in the moments that followed; a Texas game

warden spotted an open bottle of alcohol in the car and directed

Mr. Martinez to pull over; another officer, however, gave

conflicting instructions and told him to "keep going"; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Martinez turned onto a side street and brought

his car to a full stop; several officers, including two ICE agents,

surrounded the vehicle, and Mr. Orta reported that his friend was

confused and panicked by the situation; Mr. Martinez slowly moved

the car forward and to the left; the ICE incident report states that

one agent was struck by the car and "wound up on the hood of the

vehicle"; the other ICE agent proceeded to fire three shots at

Mr. Martinez through the open driver's side window, and at least

one bullet pierced his heart; according to Mr. Orta, who remained

in the passenger seat throughout the encounter, Mr. Martinez's last

words were "I'm sorry"; and

WHEREAS, The agent who fired the shots dragged Mr. Martinez

out of the vehicle and onto the ground, where another officer placed

him in handcuffs; in footage obtained from body cameras, he appears

unconscious, and about a minute passes before first responders

began attempting to render medical aid; Mr. Martinez was eventually

transported to a hospital in Brownsville, where he was pronounced

dead at 1:27 a.m.; and

WHEREAS, The role of ICE in the fatal shooting was not

disclosed to the public until February 2026, nearly a year after the

incident, when heavily redacted internal documents were obtained by

American Oversight, a nonprofit government watchdog organization,

as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit; the following

month, the Texas Department of Public Safety released more than 100

documents related to the incident, including camera footage,

evidence photos, and witness statements and reports; the Department

of Homeland Security described the shooting as an act of

self-defense and said that Mr. Martinez "intentionally ran over a

Homeland Security Investigation special agent," but many

individuals have expressed concern that the DHS account is not

supported by the available video footage and records; moreover,

experts in police training and tactics have questioned why a

federal officer positioned himself in front of the vehicle and put

himself in harm's way; and

WHEREAS, The family of Mr. Martinez marked what would have

been his 24th birthday in March 2026; although Mr. Martinez could

no longer share a meal with them, they maintained the tradition of

commemorating his birthday with a visit to a nice restaurant,

saving an empty seat for him at the table; and

WHEREAS, Ruben Martinez enriched the lives of all who knew

him with his warmth and kindness, and although his death has brought

immeasurable sorrow, he will forever hold a treasured place in the

hearts of those he left behind; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 90th Texas

Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Ruben Ray Martinez

and extend sincere sympathy to all who mourn his passing; and, be it

further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be

prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of

Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Ruben

Martinez.