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Immigration & BorderDeveloping

Chicago Woman Shot Five Times by Border Patrol Agent Sues Federal Government

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 6 outlets, mostly left-leaning (66%).

7 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Marimar Martinez, a Chicago woman shot five times by Border Patrol agent Charles Exum in October 2025, filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the U.S. government under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which allows suits against the government but not individual federal agents. Martinez's attorneys say a new crime-scene analysis shows Exum was not in front of her vehicle when he fired and that the last shot passed through the rear passenger seat, contradicting his account that she drove toward him. The lawsuit alleges false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, battery, assault, negligence and emotional distress. Martinez was initially charged with trying to ram federal officers, but those charges were later dropped. Her attorneys say Exum should face criminal charges.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Marimar Martinez was shot five times by Border Patrol agent Charles Exum in Chicago in October 2025.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  2. Martinez filed a federal lawsuit on Monday under the Federal Tort Claims Act against the U.S. government.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  3. Attorneys cite a new crime scene/trajectory analysis indicating Exum was beside, not in front of, the vehicle, and that the final shot went through the rear passenger seat.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  4. Martinez was initially charged with attempting to ram federal officers with her vehicle; those charges were later dropped.

    Reported byLeftRight

  5. The lawsuit alleges false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, battery, assault, negligence and emotional distress.

    Reported byLeftCenter

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. Attorney Michael Gallagher said at a press conference that the shooting was not justified and that Exum should face criminal charges.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  2. The shooting occurred during the Trump administration's Operation Midway Blitz immigration enforcement surge in Chicago.

    Reported byLeft

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Whether Martinez was driving toward Exum when he opened fire.

    Martinez's attorneys and the lawsuit allege a new analysis shows Exum was not in front of the vehicle and was not in danger; Exum reportedly claimed Martinez was driving toward him, which the lawsuit calls false.

  • Whether the shooting was justified.

    Martinez's attorney Michael Gallagher says the shooting was not justified and Exum should face criminal charges; DHS had previously characterized Martinez as a domestic terrorist who tried to attack Exum.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Both left outlets use straightforward factual headlines describing the shooting and lawsuit, with NYT's headline the most terse and its article framing the case within a broader pattern of lawsuits against immigration enforcement.

    Chicago woman shot 5 times by an immigration officer sues the US government
    ABC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The Hill's headline centers on the lawsuit and the shooting, emphasizing the attorneys' effort to counter official narratives with objective evidence.

    Woman sues Trump administration after being shot five times by immigration agent
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The Washington Examiner's headline is similarly factual, closely mirroring the other outlets' descriptions of the shooting and lawsuit.

    Chicago woman shot five times by Border Patrol agent sues Trump administration
    Washington ExaminerRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left1

    widening push from people who claim they were harmed

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Vague attribution

    widening push from people who claim they were harmedMore neutral: one of several lawsuits from people who say they were harmed

    Frames the lawsuit as part of an unquantified broader trend without specifying sources or numbers.

    The lawsuit is the latest in a widening push from people who claim they were harmed by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and now…

    Used byThe New York Times (Left)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

4 outlets

Leads with

  • new evidence undermining agent's account
  • Martinez's ongoing physical and mental injuries
  • broader pattern of harm from immigration crackdown

Leaves out

  • DHS's initial characterization of Martinez as a domestic terrorist

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 5 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • ABC NewsLeft

    Chicago woman shot 5 times by an immigration officer sues the US government

    An American-born citizen who survived being shot by a federal immigration officer in Chicago is suing the US government.

    Read at ABC News (opens in a new tab)
  • The GuardianLeftAssociated Press report

    US citizen alleges immigration agent in Chicago shot her from behind

    CBP says in response to lawsuit use-of-force cases are ‘thoroughly investigated, reviewed, and presented’ A US citizen who was shot one year ago by a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent during a sweeping immigration crackdown in Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
  • ABC NewsLeftAssociated Press report

    US citizen who was shot by immigration agent files lawsuit

    An American citizen shot by a federal agent one year ago during an immigration crackdown in Chicago has filed suit against the federal government, alleging the agent lied about the shooting and had fired into her vehicle from behind

    Read at ABC News (opens in a new tab)
  • The New York TimesLeft

    Chicago Woman Shot by Border Patrol Agent Sues Federal Government

    The lawsuit is the latest in a Vague attribution“widening push from people who claim they were harmed”Frames the lawsuit as part of an unquantified broader trend without specifying sources or numbers.More neutral: one of several lawsuits from people who say they were harmedDisagree with this highlight? by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and now want justice.

    Read at The New York Times (opens in a new tab)
  • NBC NewsLeft

    Chicago woman shot 5 times by CBP officer files federal lawsuit

    Attorneys for Marimar Martinez alleged a new analysis of the bullets’ trajectories shows Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum wasn’t in front of her vehicle and the last shot went through the rear passenger seat.

    Read at NBC News (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • attorneys' strategy of hiring independent crime scene analyst
  • public skepticism of DOJ/administration statements
  • DHS's initial domestic terrorism characterization

Leaves out

  • Operation Midway Blitz context

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Woman sues Trump administration after being shot five times by immigration agent

    Marimar Martinez, a Chicago woman who was shot five times by an immigration agent, sued the federal government Monday for damages, with her attorneys saying new analysis of the scene will prove the officer shot her as she was turning her car away from him. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • legal mechanics of the Federal Tort Claims Act
  • dropped charges against Martinez
  • agent's disputed claim that Martinez drove toward him

Leaves out

  • Operation Midway Blitz context
  • DHS's domestic terrorist characterization

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    38 min later

    Its first report, Oct 5, 5:09 PM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    The Hill, Oct 5, 4:31 PM EDT

  • Right

    2 hr 11 min later

    Its first report, Oct 5, 6:41 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The HillCenterOct 5, 4:31 PM EDT
  2. NBC NewsLeftOct 5, 5:09 PM EDT
  3. Washington ExaminerRightOct 5, 6:41 PM EDT
  4. The New York TimesLeftOct 5, 6:46 PM EDT
  5. ABC NewsLeftOct 5, 8:54 PM EDT
  6. The GuardianLeftOct 6, 10:08 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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