Chicago resident Marimar Martinez filed a federal lawsuit Monday claiming a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent fired five shots into the rear of her vehicle during the 2025 “Operation Midway Blitz,” a sweeping immigration enforcement action launched under President Trump.
Allegations and evidence
Martinez, then 30, says the agent, Charles Exum, exited his SUV and opened fire after prosecutors initially accused her of using her car to box in his vehicle on Chicago’s southwest side on Oct. 4, 2025. She sustained seven gunshot wounds. Her attorneys commissioned an independent ballistics expert who concluded Exum was not in the direct path of her car when he fired, and that he walked several feet toward the vehicle before shooting from behind.
Attorney Chris Parente highlighted three bullet holes on the right passenger‑side windshield and a fourth hole through the front passenger window, indicating the shots came from the rear. “In what world can a U.S. law‑enforcement officer stand behind a car and fire his Glock through the rear passenger window at a young woman who’s crouched over the steering wheel?” Parente asked.
Government response
CBP responded that Exum has been placed on administrative leave and that use‑of‑force incidents are “thoroughly investigated, reviewed, and presented” to an independent board. Exum is not named as a defendant because the lawsuit was filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which does not permit suits against individual agents.
Body‑worn camera footage from another agent in Exum’s vehicle captured officers saying it was “time to get aggressive” and using profanity, suggesting a hostile environment leading up to the shooting.
Context of the Trump immigration crackdown
Martinez’s case is one of several incidents involving federal agents shooting drivers during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement push. Similar shootings have occurred in Austin, Texas, and Biddeford, Maine, with the administration often citing self‑defense against alleged vehicle weaponization.
Messages released by Martinez’s lawyers show former Border Patrol head Greg Bovino praising Exum’s “excellent service in Chicago” after the shooting, and a group chat among agents referring to Exum as a “legend.”
Legal and community implications
The lawsuit seeks accountability for what Martinez and her counsel describe as false statements to the FBI and unlawful use of force. It also raises broader concerns about the conduct of immigration enforcement officers and the transparency of federal investigations.
Martinez told reporters, “If I don’t, then who else? What’s happening is not normal. We shouldn’t stay here and normalize what’s happening.” Her statement echoes the concerns of other victims, such as Renee Good, who was killed in a similar incident in Minneapolis.
The case underscores ongoing debates over the balance between immigration enforcement and civil liberties, a topic that remains central to the Trump administration’s policy agenda.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
