{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/witness-testimony-blumenthal-and-robert-garcia-receive-testimony-on-fatal-shootings-by-federal-immigration-agents", "Witness Testimony: Blumenthal & Robert Garcia Receive Testimony on Fatal Shootings by Federal Immigration Agents", "2026-09-22", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), and U.S. Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, held a bicameral public forum on the killings of Ruben Ray Martinez, Ren\u00e9e Nicole Macklin Good, Alex Pretti, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, and Johan Sebasti\u00e1n Dur\u00e1n Guerrero.\n\nThe following witnesses offered testimony about the fatal shootings of five people by federal immigration agents during the Trump Administration:\n\nRachel Reyes: Rachel Reyes\u2019 son, Ruben Ray Martinez, was shot and killed by an Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in March 2025 in South Padre Island, Texas. For nearly a year afterwards, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) refused to publicly acknowledge its involvement in Mr. Martinez\u2019s death, which only came to light through a public records request.\n\n\u201cThough the circumstances surrounding his death and these other victims are distinctly different, the pattern is the same. Lives cut short by the same agency; agents without body cameras; no warnings; no attempt to de-escalate; excessive force followed by deflection, and a lack of accountability after the fact,\u201d Ms. Reyes wrote. \u201cOther similarities are that these victims, despite being nonviolent community members with no criminal background, were disparaged and blamed to shift focus away from the officer\u2019s misconduct. What happened to my son is personal, but it should be a concern for us all.\u201d\n\nMs. Reyes\u2019 written testimony is available here.\n\nVideo of Ms. Reyes\u2019 testimony is available here.\n\nDonna and Brent Ganger: Donna Ganger\u2019s daughter and Brent Ganger\u2019s sister, Ren\u00e9e Nicole Macklin Good, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in January 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.\n\n\u201cWhat I want most to do today is help everyone understand exactly what was taken from us on January 7th, and what a beautiful woman our family and this country lost. We have not moved on. We struggle every day. We will never, ever be the same,\u201d Mrs. Ganger wrote. \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to balance our gratitude for what a lovely soul Renee was with the anger and confusion at the violent way she died. And the total insanity of it all. She should still be alive. I\u2019ll say that again. My daughter should still be alive.\u201d\n\n\u201cI urge each of you to find a common sense solution to the problem of accountability for federal officers. There should not be a different set of rules and a different process to hold a federal officer accountable versus a state or local officer. We all want our law enforcement officers to perform at the highest standards, but when they don\u2019t, it shouldn\u2019t matter who their employer is. There should be a path to justice for those they harm,\u201d Mr. Ganger wrote. \u201cOur family implores all members of Congress to work together to level the playing field and find common sense reform that provides accountability and justice for all.\u201d\n\nMrs. Ganger and Mr. Ganger\u2019s written testimony is available here.\n\nVideo of Mrs. Ganger and Mr. Ganger\u2019s testimony is available here.\n\nStella Carlson: Stella Carlson recorded the killing of Alex Pretti in January 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ms. Carlson, known as the \u201cwoman in the pink coat,\u201d was on her way to work when she witnessed and filmed an immigration agent shooting Mr. Pretti in the back. Her video confirmed that DHS\u2019s account of the fatal shooting was false.\n\n\u201cI am just a regular person, but I care deeply about my community, and my state, and my country. And I believe there is power in ordinary people telling the truth,\u201d Ms. Carlson wrote. \u201cBecause I feel like I witnessed two assassinations. The first was the assassination of Alex himself \u2014 the killing I watched happen in the streets of Minneapolis. The second was the attempted assassination of his character. Afterward, powerful voices at the highest levels of government right here in Washington DC lied about Alex Pretti. They tried to take the gentle person I had watched with my own eyes and replace him with lies claiming he was a violent threat, someone who had come there to cause maximum damage, someone who wanted to kill law enforcement. Not so. Those were all lies. I observed him and what happened with my own eyes. The truth does not become less true because someone with great power tells a louder lie.\u201d\n\nMs. Carlson\u2019s written testimony is available here.\n\nVideo of Ms. Carlson\u2019s testimony is available here.\n\nRonaldo and Lorenzo Salgado: Ronaldo and Lorenzo Salgado\u2019s father, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, was shot and killed in Houston, Texas in July 2026. Mr. Araujo was driving to work when he was confronted by ICE agents who fired into the vehicle, killing him.\n\n\u201cI visit my dad\u2019s memorial every day. Not because it\u2019s where he died, but where a movement was born. It\u2019s my way of witnessing how many hearts my dad\u2019s story resonates with,\u201d Mr. Ronaldo Salgado wrote. \u201cAnd it\u2019s my motivation to continue fighting not just for my dad, but for everyone else\u2019s dad and families like mine. I hope I\u2019m doing the right thing every day. I know my dad is guiding me in the right direction.\u201d\n\n\u201cI ask you this: What would you do if you were in our shoes? Think of a loved one,\u201d Mr. Lorenzo Salgado wrote. \u201cClose your eyes and picture their face. What would you do if they were taken from you this way? Suddenly, without any sense. What would you do if you had to spend your days comforting your mother about the loss of her lifelong love, your grandmother about the loss of her little boy? You would do everything you could to find out what happened and make sure your loved one got justice.\u201d\n\nMr. Ronaldo Salgado and Mr. Lorenzo Salgado\u2019s written testimony is available here.\n\nVideo of Mr. Mr. Ronaldo Salgado and Mr. Lorenzo Salgado\u2019s testimony is available here.\n\nSean P. Murphy: Sean P. Murphy represents the family of Johan Sebasti\u00e1n Dur\u00e1n Guerrero who was shot and killed by an ICE agent shortly after leaving for work early in the morning hours of July 13, 2026. He was not the target of any ICE removal operation and had no criminal history. Johan Sebasti\u00e1n did have a social security number and valid work authorization issued by the current administration. To date, no federal agency has confirmed that they are investigating.\n\n\u201cI will say this next part quietly but with the hope and belief that just the grieving of Johan Sebati\u00e1n\u2019s mother permeated the walls of the funeral home, this next declaration permeates the walls of this building and reaches if not the ears, the soul of any public servant who has a soul left to receive it: Anyone who would defend the murder of Johan Sebasti\u00e1n is not a true patriot,\u201d Mr. Murphy wrote.\n\nMr. Murphy\u2019s written testimony is available here.\n\nVideo of Mr. Murphy\u2019s testimony is available here.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-09-24T09:44:48Z", "2026-09-24T09:45:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/witness-testimony-blumenthal-and-robert-garcia-receive-testimony-on-fatal-shootings-by-federal-immigration-agents"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.441827043890953, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}