60 Minutes: U.S. Citizen Describes Guns‑Drawn Arrest After Border Patrol SUV Collision in Chicago
On 60 Minutes, two U.S. citizens — paralegal Dayanne Figueroa and teacher’s assistant Marimar Martinez — gave on‑camera accounts of guns‑drawn Border Patrol stops after collisions with Border Patrol SUVs in Chicago, with bystander and surveillance video that appears to show an agent’s SUV veering into Figueroa’s car, agents drawing guns, dragging and handcuffing her, and Martinez saying she “feared for [her] life” after being wounded. Their lawyers provided footage they say contradicts DHS’s claim that agents were “boxed in,” and the broadcast highlighted lasting physical and psychological harm while increasing pressure on DHS to explain the disparity.
📌 Key Facts
- 60 Minutes identified the wounded U.S. citizen as Chicago teacher’s assistant Marimar Martinez, who speaks on camera saying she “feared for [her] life.”
- Martinez’s lawyer provided 60 Minutes with surveillance video that he says contradicts DHS’s claim that agents were “boxed in” by her vehicle and others; that footage and the contradiction are being broadcast nationally, increasing pressure on DHS to explain the discrepancy.
- Dayanne Figueroa, a U.S. citizen and paralegal, gave her first on‑camera account of the Oct. 10 Chicago collision with a Border Patrol SUV and the ensuing arrest.
- Bystander and surveillance video shown on 60 Minutes appear to depict a Border Patrol SUV veering into Figueroa’s car rather than her ramming agents, contradicting accounts that drivers “weaponize” vehicles.
- Video and Figueroa’s description show masked, unbadged agents in unmarked vehicles blocking traffic, drawing guns, ordering her out without identifying themselves, dragging her from the car, pinning her with knees, handcuffing her, and transporting her with two noncitizen detainees.
- Figueroa says she repeatedly asserted her U.S. citizenship, was taken to an FBI facility and questioned for hours, and was released only after she reported urinating blood and concerns about recent kidney surgery; paramedics then transported her to a hospital.
- Both segments emphasize lasting psychological harm — Figueroa and Martinez describe nightly nightmares, fear of leaving home and trauma from the use of force — highlighting the emotional and psychological aftermath of a guns‑drawn stop during interior enforcement operations.
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 27, 2026
3:03 PM
How a collision with Border Patrol escalated to arrest
New information:
- Identifies the driver as U.S. citizen and paralegal Dayanne Figueroa and provides her detailed first‑person account of the Oct. 10 Chicago incident.
- Bystander video shown on 60 Minutes appears to depict a Border Patrol SUV veering into Figueroa’s car rather than her ramming agents, contradicting the typical DHS narrative that drivers 'weaponize' vehicles.
- Video and Figueroa’s description show masked, unbadged agents blocking traffic in unmarked vehicles, drawing guns, ordering her out without identifying themselves, then dragging her from the car, pinning her with knees, handcuffing and transporting her with two noncitizen detainees.
- Figueroa says she repeatedly asserted her U.S. citizenship, was taken to an FBI facility, questioned for hours and released only after she reported urinating blood and concerns about recent kidney surgery, after which paramedics brought her to a hospital.
- She describes lasting psychological harm — nightly nightmares, fear of leaving home, and trauma from the use of force — underscoring the human impact beyond the initial stop.
3:02 PM
How a collision with Border Patrol escalated to arrest
New information:
- Dayanne Figueroa gives her first on‑camera interview to 60 Minutes, describing the collision with a Border Patrol vehicle and ensuing arrest.
- She characterizes the agents’ response as an 'assault,' saying they drew guns, pulled her from the car, and that she now suffers nightly nightmares.
- The segment focuses on the emotional and psychological aftermath for a U.S. citizen subjected to a guns‑drawn stop during a Trump‑era interior enforcement operation.
January 20, 2026
12:55 AM
U.S. citizen shot by Border Patrol: "I feared for my life"
New information:
- Confirms that the wounded U.S. citizen is Chicago teacher’s assistant Marimar Martinez, who now speaks on camera saying she 'feared for [her] life.'
- Shows that Martinez’s lawyer has provided '60 Minutes' with the surveillance video and explicitly argues it contradicts DHS’s claim agents were 'boxed in' by her vehicle and others.
- Reinforces that this contradiction is now being broadcast to a national audience via a prime‑time network news magazine, amplifying pressure on DHS to explain the disparity.