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By Mandy Taheri
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Body-camera footage showing the moments ahead of a federal agent shooting Marimar Martinez five times in October was released, prompting renewed criticism of the Trump administration’s use of force by immigration officers and drawing reaction from across the political spectrum, including right-wing commentator Tim Pool, who said, “Trump is losing this.”
Newsweek has reached out to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) press team for comment via email on Thursday.
Why It Matters
Martinez, a 30-year-old U.S. citizen and teacher was shot five times by a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a confrontation in Chicago in October. She was then charged with a felony after DHS officials said “law enforcement officers were ambushed by domestic terrorists that rammed federal agents with their vehicles,” in reference to Martinez. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit against Martinez, following the DOJ’s request.
Read More on News
The Trump administration ramped up immigration enforcement in Chicago last year in Operation Midway Blitz, which started in early September. The Trump administration and its immigration enforcement policies have drawn heightened scrutiny in recent months, after two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot by federal immigration officers.
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What to Know
Newly released body camera footage show three border patrol agents in a car in Chicago. A drawn gun can be seen on the video. An agent can be heard saying, “It’s time to get aggressive and get the f*** out, because they’re trying to box us in.”
The footage, along with other materials like an email from Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino, were publicly released by the U.S. attorney’s office on Tuesday.
At another point, an agent in the car can be heard saying, “We’re going to make contact, and we’re boxed in.”
Then, right before the moment of impact, the agent driving, Agent Charles Exum, sharply turns the wheel towards Martinez, the video shows.
Surveillance footage from nearby appears to challenge the claim that the agent was boxed in, showing no vehicle directly in front of the agent’s car.
Other materials released include an email from Bovino, in which he writes to Exum following the shooting, “In light of your excellent service in Chicago, you have much yet left to do!!”
Online users pointed to the footage as an example of the administration’s overreach and overuse of force in immigration enforcement operations.
Pool shared the video with the caption: "Trump is losing this." Brian Allen, an economics and geopolitical analyst with nearly 260,000 followers on X, called the matter a "cover-up."
In a statement on Wednesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said incidents like this one, which include use-of-force, “are thoroughly investigated," according to the Associated Press. Agent Exum was placed on administrative leave.
What People Are Saying
Republicans Against Trump said in an X post on Thursday: "Body cam footage, released after months of court battles, shows Border Patrol agents in Chicago steering into American teacher Marimar Martinez before shooting her five times, contradicting DHS claims she 'ambushed' them."
Martinez’s attorney, Christopher Parente, said during a press conference: "This is a time where we just cannot trust the words of our federal officials."
Representative Robert Garcia, a California Democrat, said in an X post on February 4: "Marimar Martinez is a schoolteacher and U.S. citizen. She had no weapon or criminal record, and a CBP officer still shot her five times. That same officer then bragged about his horrific actions in a group chat. It's disgusting, and it's shameful. He must be held accountable."
FBI Director Kash Patel said in an October X post: “The @FBI just arrested two individuals who were allegedly driving these vehicles and attacking our federal law enforcement officers. They have been charged for assaulting federal officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon. Attack our law enforcement, and this FBI will find you and bring you to justice.”
What Happens Next
Martinez's attorneys are pursuing a complaint against CBP.
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