A congressional hearing meant to examine immigration enforcement practices took a dark turn this week when lawmakers read aloud text messages from an ICE agent who appeared to boast about shooting a woman during an operation in Chicago.
The messages, described by Democrats as 'disturbing' and 'shameful,' surfaced as part of testimony surrounding a string of controversial ICE shootings across the country, according to Inquisitr.
At the centre of the hearing were the family members of Renee Nicole Good, a Minnesota woman killed by an ICE agent earlier this year.
Her brothers sat in the chamber, struggling to hold back tears as lawmakers detailed what they called a concerning use of force.
But it was the Chicago case that stunned the room.
Representative Robert Garcia read out texts allegedly sent by an ICE officer involved in the October 4 shooting of Marimar Martinez.
In one message, the agent bragged: "I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys."
Other messages were just as blunt.
"Oh well, it is what it is" the officer wrote. In another: "S–t happens."
Garcia called the remarks 'disgusting and shameful.'
"This is someone that works for the United States government," he said. "It’s our understanding that he was actually bragging about his aim in shooting an unarmed American citizen. Is that right?"
"Correct," Martinez replied.
Federal agents initially claimed Martinez had caused a disturbance, chased officers and rammed her car into theirs, justifying the use of force. But the account later shifted, and the case against her was eventually dismissed two months after charges were filed.
Testifying before Congress, Martinez questioned ICE’s broader tactics.
"The government told the people they were targeting the worst of the worst," she said. “But their actions demonstrated otherwise."
The revelations come amid growing scrutiny of immigration enforcement operations following multiple shootings, including the death of Good on January 7, who was shot by an ICE agent in Minnesota.