A woman who was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in Chicago is asking a federal judge to make public the body camera footage and other evidence from her case.
Marimar Martinez was injured during an encounter with federal immigration agents in Brighton Park in October 2025. The incident occurred as law enforcement clashed with neighbors protesting the presence of federal agents in the area.
According to Border Patrol, Martinez allegedly chased agents and rammed her car into a federal vehicle, prompting them to shoot her multiple times. She survived and was later charged with felony assault. However, Martinez and her attorney disputed this account, and the case against her was dismissed in November.
Text messages revealed that Charles Exum, the agent who shot Martinez, boasted about the shooting. Body camera footage reportedly captured another agent saying, “Do something, b—,” before shots were fired at Martinez, according to her attorney.
Following the dismissal of charges, a court order restricted public disclosure of evidence provided by the government due to privacy concerns. Now, Martinez and her lawyers are seeking to unseal this evidence, which includes body camera footage, photographs, electronic communications, and other materials. They argue that releasing these materials serves the public interest amid ongoing debates about law enforcement’s use of force.
Martinez remains labeled as a “domestic terrorist” on Department of Homeland Security websites and social media platforms. Her attorneys claim that some videos shared online do not actually depict her or involve her vehicle.
“The Protective Order has become an albatross around her neck and keeps the entire country in the dark about how DHS responds to lethal force incidents by their agents, which have now unfortunately become a weekly occurrence,” wrote Christopher Parente, one of Martinez’s attorneys.
Martinez is scheduled to appear in court again on Thursday.
In related developments, federal officials plan to release additional body camera footage from another lawsuit challenging immigration enforcement tactics in Chicago. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis ordered that approximately 500 previously unseen body camera videos be released after she relied on them when issuing an injunction temporarily limiting agents’ use of force against journalists and peaceful protesters.
