Feb. 21 (UPI) -- A federal immigration agent shot and killed a U.S. citizen in Texas early last year as immigration officials were aware of an increase in use-of-force incidents by agents in the field.

Reports of use-of-force incidents involving ICE agents saw a nearly four-fold increase -- there 67 incidents reported in the first two months of 2025, compared with 17 in the same time frame in 2024 -- as the Trump administration ramped up its nationwide immigration crackdown, according to internal emails reviewed by Newsweek.

Among the revelations revealed in the documents was the shooting death of 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez, a San Antonio resident who was shot multiple times by a Homeland Security special agent in South Padre Island who did not follow commands to exit his vehicle, The New York Times and KSAT-TV reported.

The documents were released on Feb. 17 by the non-profit American Oversight, which obtained them through a Freedom of Information Act request and lawsuit.

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