A Texas mother who supported the current administration is now calling for a complete overhaul of federal immigration enforcement following the death of her son.
Rachel Reyes, an American citizen and 2024 Trump voter, says her family has always held deep respect for the law, but the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez by an ICE agent has left her demanding an end to “abuse and impunity” within the department.
While Martinez was killed in March 2025 during a spring break trip to South Padre Island, the fact that a federal immigration agent was responsible for the gunfire was kept from the public for nearly a year.
“I just want to know what happened, why they feel it was justified, and I honestly don’t believe that. I’m not a mother in denial. I’m just a mother in doubt, because I know my son and I know he’s not a threat,” Reyes shared in her first television interview.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has defended the agent’s actions, claiming “defensive shots” were fired after Martinez allegedly used his vehicle to intentionally strike an officer. However, a witness statement from Joshua Orta, a passenger in the car that night, tells a different story. Before passing away in an unrelated accident last month, Orta stated that Martinez was merely “crawling” and “coasting” while trying to follow police directions to leave the area. “The troopers were never in danger from Ruben and could have easily stepped aside,” his statement read, alleging the agent fired from a distance of just two feet without warning.
Despite a grand jury recently declining criminal charges, Reyes believes the system is broken. “I don’t blame President Trump for the death of my son, ’cause he wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger,” Reyes clarified. “But I do think that something needs to be changed in that department as far as the pattern of violence or abuse and impunity.”
Ruben, an Amazon warehouse worker who loved cars and video games, reportedly uttered “I’m sorry, sir,” as his final words.
To his mother, the loss is about the future that was stolen. “I’m sad because I’m never going to see his children… it was just taken from us. And I feel it was preventable,” she said.
Rachel Reyes voted for President Trump. But after her 23-year-old son Ruben Ray Martinez was shot and killed by an ICE agent, she told us reforms are needed to end “abuse and impunity.”
Texas officials are set to release records on the shooting today.
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— Camilo Montoya-Galvez (@camiloreports) March 6, 2026
