Marimar Martinez, shot 5 times by Border Patrol in Chicago, plans to attend Trump's State of the Union
Feb 05, 2026
The Chicago woman shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in October plans to attend President Donald Trump's State of the Union address later this month, as a guest of U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia.Marimar Martinez's attorney disclosed her plans in a fiery court filing Thursday, in which he slamme
d Homeland Security — and Chicago's U.S. attorney's office — for refusing to back down on claims that Martinez is a "domestic terrorist." Attorney Christopher Parente noted that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will also likely be present."Perhaps former Commander of the Border Patrol Gregory Bovino will also be present," Parente wrote. "There is no doubt that between now and Feb. 24, 2026, DHS will continue to defame Marimar and continue to brand her as a 'domestic terrorist.'"
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Martinez survived five shots from Border Patrol agent Charles Exum. She was later charged with assault, but federal prosecutors dropped the charges Nov. 20. Martinez is a teacher's assistant at a Montessori school.Nevertheless, Homeland Security recently issued statements to the Chicago Sun-Times and NPR refusing to back down on its claims about Martinez. In his new court filing, Parente said U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros' office "turns a blind eye.""They are no longer passive observers to the false statements made by DHS," wrote Parente, who once worked as a federal prosecutor in Chicago. "They are active enablers of an out-of-control client."A spokesman for Boutros' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Parente made his commentary as he continued to seek permission from U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis to release text messages written by Exum after the shooting. Prosecutors recently said the release would "sully" Exum's reputation. But Parente wrote that it would be "a fully deserved, self-imposed sullying."The attorney also noted that law enforcement gathered 30 days' of camera images of Martinez's car."They presumably wanted to be able to show her driving from the dynamite factory on Cicero to the suicide vest store on Armitage," Parente wrote. "Instead they presumably noticed her driving to Target for school supplies and Michael's for crafting materials."This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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