At a Glance
- Federal immigration officers have shot 11 people since September 2025; seven involved cars.
- Three people died; four have faced criminal charges, two later dismissed.
- Why it matters: The pattern alarms policing experts who say shooting into vehicles risks needless injury and death.
Federal immigration officers have shot 11 people since September 2025 as deportation operations intensify nationwide. In seven of those incidents, officers fired into moving cars – a tactic long discouraged by policing experts.
The vehicle shootings worry former chiefs who helped rewrite U.S. guidelines after the 1990s to curb needless injuries. Jim Bueermann, ex-chief in Redlands, California, now leads the Future Policing Institute.
“This is clearly developing into a pattern and practice of how they deal with people in the enforcement of immigration laws, and to me that’s the most alarming thing we’re seeing,” Bueermann said.
DHS says every incident involved officers fearing for their lives. Tricia McLaughlin, DHS Assistant Secretary, blamed violent agitators.
“The pattern is NOT of law enforcement using deadly force. It’s a pattern of vehicles being used as weapons by violent agitators to attack our law enforcement,” McLaughlin said.
Officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) opened fire in Illinois, California, Texas, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon and elsewhere. Those shot include U.S. citizens, immigrants without permanent status and suspected criminals. Three died.
Shootings Into Cars Dominate
Seven cases list a moving car as the threat. Chris Burbank, former Salt Lake City chief, helped the Justice Department review agencies for civil-rights violations. He said repeated car shootings by federal immigration officers are unsettling.
Police departments have tried since the 1990s to stop officers from putting themselves in a vehicle’s path. The International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Police Executive Research Forum urged restrictions. A 2013 report singled out CBP officers for “deliberately putting themselves in the paths of cars, exposing themselves to additional risk and creating justification for the use of deadly force.”
DHS policy now bars firing at moving vehicles unless officers have “reasonable belief” the driver poses imminent deadly danger. Burbank questions whether ICE teaches that rule.
“There is not a lot of training, not a lot of accountability going on, and you have the feeling of ‘do your jobs at all costs,'” Burbank said.
McLaughlin countered that officers receive ongoing de-escalation and use-of-force training and aim to use “the minimum amount of force necessary.”
DHS requires every firearms discharge to be reported and reviewed. The FBI is examining some cases but releases no updates. No public findings have emerged on whether any shooting was deemed justified or led to discipline.
Case-by-Case Details
Sept. 12, 2025 – Franklin Park, Illinois
Silverio Villegas González, 38, stopped by ICE, was shot in the neck and died. Officers said he hit and dragged an agent. No body-camera video exists; business security footage shows partial view. ICE cited his history of reckless driving.
Oct. 4, 2025 – Chicago
Marimar Martinez, 30, U.S. citizen, was shot by CBP agent Charles Exum after agents claimed she boxed in their car. Charges of impeding law enforcement were dismissed two months later. Martinez plans to sue; body-camera video remains sealed.
Oct. 21, 2025 – Los Angeles
Carlitos Ricardo Parias, 44, Mexican national known as “Richard LA” on TikTok, was shot in the arm while boxed in by ICE vehicles. A ricocheting bullet also struck a U.S. marshal. A judge dismissed an assault charge against Parias, citing constitutional violations. He remains detained in Adelanto, California.
Oct. 29, 2025 – Phoenix
Jose Garcia-Sorto, described by DHS as a Honduran national, was shot twice on Interstate 17 after allegedly pulling away. He survived, was treated and is held in Florence, Arizona. No criminal charges announced.
Oct. 30, 2025 – Ontario, California
Carlos Jimenez, 25, U.S. citizen, was shot in the shoulder. Prosecutors say he accelerated toward officers; his lawyers say he tried to warn them they blocked a school-bus stop. He pleaded not guilty; trial is set for April 13.
Dec. 11, 2025 – Starr County, Texas
Isaias Sanchez Barboza, 31, Mexican national, was shot at least three times during an “active struggle” on the riverbank. He died at a hospital; Texas Rangers continue investigating.
Dec. 24, 2025 – Glen Burnie, Maryland
Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins, a Portuguese national who overstayed a visa, was shot after allegedly ramming ICE vehicles. Anne Arundel police later contradicted initial DHS claims that a passenger was injured; no charges filed.
Jan. 7, 2026 – Minneapolis
Renee Good, 37, U.S. citizen, was shot three times by ICE officer Jonathan Ross while parked perpendicular to traffic. She died at the scene. The FBI is investigating; Good’s family hired civil-rights attorney Antonio Romanucci.
Jan. 8, 2026 – Portland, Oregon
Luis David Nino Moncada, 33, Venezuelan national, and passenger Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras were shot during a prostitution-ring probe. Nino Moncada faces assault and property-damage charges; Zambrano-Contreras faces illegal-entry charges. Oregon’s attorney general has opened a separate investigation.
Jan. 14, 2026 – Minneapolis
Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national, was shot in the leg after allegedly assaulting an officer with a shovel or broomstick during a foot chase. Two bystanders also reportedly attacked the officer. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating.
Key Takeaways
- Eleven shootings in five months show repeated use of deadly force during vehicle stops or pursuits.
- No public findings clarify whether officers followed policy.
- Victims’ outcomes vary: three deaths, several dismissals of related criminal charges, at least one planned lawsuit.
