An legal professional for a Chicago girl shot and wounded by a Customs and Border Safety agent throughout Operation Halfway Blitz is asking a federal choose to permit the general public disclosure of proof — together with physique digicam footage, digital communications and images — in an effort to “fight the persevering with hurt to her repute” and to tell the general public in regards to the authorities’s response to the capturing incident.
“What occurred to Ms. Martinez and the reality in regards to the occasions of October 4, 2025, in addition to what is going on with the killing of two different people by DHS brokers have turn into issues of robust public curiosity and debate,” wrote Chris Parente, an legal professional for Marimar Martinez, who was shot five times after her car was concerned in a collision with an SUV pushed by Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum.
Public disclosure of the proof “is important to permit Ms. Martinez to make sure that debate relies actually,” Parente argued.
The proof Parente now seeks to make public is roofed by a protecting order that prohibits him from disclosing the supplies or utilizing them in reference to every other matter with out additional order of the court docket. Such orders are normal in legal instances in an effort to defend the integrity of a trial.
ABC Information and different media organizations beforehand sought modification of the protecting order within the case to acquire the physique digicam footage and different proof. The movement was denied by U.S. District Decide Georgia Alexakis.
The federal government dismissed its case in opposition to Martinez in late November.
However Parente argues in his movement filed Monday that the federal authorities — regardless of abandoning its prosecution of Martinez — is constant to have interaction in a “counter-factual public relations conflict” in opposition to his shopper. He notes that authorities statements labeling Martinez as a “home terrorist” stay on-line on official accounts.
Marimar Martinez, middle, is greeted by her household after being launched from the Metropolitan Correctional Middle after being shot by immigration brokers and charged with assaulting federal officers in an incident in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood, Oct. 6, 2025.
E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune Information Service by way of Getty Pictures
There may be “good trigger” to switch the protecting order, Parente argues, as a result of “the flexibility to disseminate the factual proof in regards to the occasions of October 4 and DHS’s response to Ms. Martinez’s capturing is of the utmost significance to Ms. Martinez, and admittedly to your entire nation at this tragic time in our nation’s historical past.”
“The Protecting Order has turn into an albatross round her neck and retains your entire nation in the dead of night about how DHS responds to deadly drive incidents by their brokers which have now sadly turn into a weekly prevalence. As a substitute of defending in opposition to improper disclosures, it’s a prophylactic to countering a pernicious misinformation marketing campaign mounted by the USA. The federal government shouldn’t be permitted to wage this marketing campaign in opposition to Ms. Martinez whereas actively suppressing the target proof that she might use to counteract these efforts,” Parente wrote.
Martinez and one other man have been charged in October with assault with a lethal weapon, accused of following the brokers’ autos and initiating the collision with Exum’s SUV that led to the capturing on Chicago’s south aspect. Federal prosecutors mentioned Exum fired 5 rounds defensively after Martinez allegedly drove towards him when he exited his car after the crash, in response to court docket filings.
At a listening to within the case final fall, Parente instructed the court docket that he had reviewed video from one agent’s body-worn digicam and contended that what he noticed and heard didn’t align with the federal government’s allegations. Parente claimed that the agent sporting the body-camera was within the rear of the Border Patrol car and might be heard saying, “Do one thing, b—-” within the moments earlier than the autos collided.
“Once I watched the video after this agent says, ‘Do one thing, b—-,’ I see the driving force of this car flip the wheel to the left, which might be in step with him working into Ms. Martinez’s car,” Parente mentioned. “After which seconds later, he jumps out and simply begins capturing.”
Prosecutors disputed Parente’s characterization of the video.
Parente additionally alleged that the federal authorities might have spoiled or altered proof when it allowed the broken car Exum was driving to be launched to him and pushed back to his home base in Maine, the place a Customs and Border Safety mechanic later wiped off black scuff marks after the FBI had processed the SUV in Chicago, in response to court docket information.
Decide Alexakis ordered the car returned to Chicago and for Exum to seem in individual for testimony. At a court docket listening to in early November, Parente confronted Exum with textual content messages he despatched to household and associates, wherein he appeared to boast about his capturing abilities.
“I fired 5 rounds and she or he had 7 holes. Put that in your guide, boys,” a type of messages mentioned.
“We admire the U.S. legal professional being considerate in agreeing to dismiss this,” Parente mentioned after the federal government dismissed its case in opposition to Martinez.
Martinez thanked the choose and “everyone that supported me.”
Parente instructed reporters at the moment that Martinez did not need to be shot and that they’re “going to work on getting her justice,” however for now are grateful that the prosecutors “did the best factor.”
