Congressman García Invites Marimar Martinez, Woman Shot by Border Patrol, to State of the Union
CHICAGO — Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) announced today that his guest for the upcoming State of the Union address will be Marimar Martinez, a constituent of Illinois’ Fourth District, a teacher’s assistant at a Montessori school and a survivor of a near-fatal shooting by a federal agent.
On October 4, Martinez, a U.S. citizen, was shot five times by a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent while going to donate clothing to her church. Following the shooting, the federal government charged and prosecuted Martinez, falsely labeling her a “domestic terrorist”. The government later dismissed the charges, yet federal officials continue to defame her. Now Martinez is fighting to release all evidence in her case to expose the Trump administration's lies and how federal agents are endangering people where they have been deployed.
“After a Border Patrol agent brutally shot Marimar and bragged about it, the Trump administration wrongly called her a “domestic terrorist”. Even after all charges were dropped, they continue to smear her name. This is unacceptable,” said Rep. García. “I believe her personal story, as someone who has been harmed by this administration’s violent immigration enforcement, should be widely shared with the public, the media, and Members of Congress.”
“I am humbled by Congressman García’s generous invitation and appreciate Congressman García being in my corner from the beginning of this fight with the Department of Homeland Security over truth and fundamental fairness. I look forward to attending the State of the Union and hope the country can look at what happened to me and other victims of DHS’s unlawful behavior as a basis to call their elected representatives and demand accountability.” said Ms. Martinez.
Martinez was nearly killed during Operation Midway Blitz, a months-long DHS operation that terrorized immigrant communities across Illinois, particularly in the district represented by Rep. García. During the operation federal agents used chemical agents against civilians, engaged in racial profiling, denied due process, and killed Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez.
A report by DHS found that only 3 percent of those arrested during Operation Midway Blitz had serious crime convictions.
“This is the federal government’s playbook: escalate violence, criminalize our neighbors, and then lie to justify brutality,” García continued. “I am proud to stand with Marimar and support her demand for full transparency and accountability.”
# # #