By SOPHIA TAREEN, Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino praised a federal agent who shot a Chicago woman during an immigration crackdown last year, according to evidence released Wednesday by attorneys who accused the Trump administration of mishandling the investigation and spreading lies about the shooting.

Marimar Martinez, a teaching assistant and U.S. citizen, was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in October while in her vehicle. She was charged with a felony after Homeland Security officials accused her of trying to ram agents with her vehicle. But the case was dismissed after videos emerged showing an agent steering his vehicle into Martinez’s vehicle.

Her attorneys pushed to make evidence in the now-dissolved criminal case public, saying they were especially motivated after a federal agent fatally shot Minneapolis woman Renee Good under similar circumstances.

Martinez’s attorneys are pursuing a complaint under a law that permits individuals to sue federal agencies. They outlined instances of DHS lying about Martinez after the shooting, including labeling her a “domestic terrorist” and accusing her of having a history of “doxxing federal agents.” The Montessori school assistant has no criminal record and prosecutors haven’t brought evidence in either claim.

“This is a time where we just cannot trust the words of our federal officials,” attorney Christopher Parente said at a news conference where his office released evidence.

Marimar Martinez, left, a woman who was shot by a Border Patrol agent last year, sits with her attorneys during a press conference Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

That included an agent’s hand-drawn diagram of the scene to allege how Martinez “boxed in” federal agents. It included vehicles Parente said “don’t exist.”

Many of the emails, texts and videos were released the night before by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

In a statement Wednesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said use-of-force incidents “are thoroughly investigated” and the agent involved, Charles Exum, was placed on administrative leave.

The shooting came during the height of the Chicago-area crackdown. Arrests, protests and tense standoffs with immigration agents were common across the city of 2.7 million and its suburbs. Weeks before the Martinez shooting, agents fatally shot a suburban Chicago dad in a traffic stop.

The government unsuccessfully fought the document release, including an email from Bovino, who led enforcement operations nationwide before he returned to his previous post in California last month.

“In light of your excellent service in Chicago, you have much yet left to do!!” Bovino wrote Exum on Oct. 4.

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In an agent group text, others congratulated Exum, calling him a “legend” and offering to buy him beer. In previously released documents, Exum’s text messages appeared to show him bragging to colleagues about his shooting skills.

“I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys,” the text read.

The latest documents are public now because U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis lifted a protective order last week. Federal prosecutors argued the documents could damage Exum’s reputation. But Alexakis said the government has shown “zero concern” about ruining Martinez’s reputation.

On the day Martinez was shot, she had followed agents’ vehicle and honked her horn to warn others of the presence of immigration agents. Body camera footage showed agents with weapons drawn and rushing out of the vehicle.

“It’s time to get aggressive and get the (expletive) out,” one agent said.

Martinez, who sat near her attorneys, was largely silent during the news conference.

She declined an Associated Press interview request. In recent weeks she has spoken to local media and before lawmakers.

Earlier this month, Martinez testified before congressional Democrats to highlight use-of-force incidents by DHS officers. Members of Good’s family also spoke. Martinez is scheduled to attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address this month as the guest of U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.

She was hospitalized before being taken into the custody of the FBI, which still has her car. Martinez said the incident has left her with mistrust of law enforcement, which accused her of being armed.

Martinez has a valid concealed-carry license and had a handgun in her purse. Attorneys showed a picture of it in a pink holster at the bottom of her purse, saying it remained there during the encounter.

“They are not targeting the worst of the worst, they are targeting individuals who fit a certain profile, who simply have a certain accent, or a non-white skin color just like mine. This raises serious concerns about fairness, discrimination, and abuse of authority,” she said during her congressional testimony. “The lack of accountability for these actions is deeply troubling.”

Martinez’s attorneys said they’d pursue a complaint under the Federal Tort Claims Act. If the agency denies the claim or doesn’t act on it within six months, they can file a federal lawsuit.

“The cascade of behavioral incidents and mental health crises that frequently results in arrests or disciplinary encounters with NYPD is largely a consequence of underinvestment in youth mental and behavioral healthcare.”

Students head into school in New York City in February 2021. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

Tens of thousands of New York City children undergo daily metal detector checks and bag searches imposed at school by police personnel. For many students, especially those who already have anxiety surrounding interactions with law enforcement, NYPD presence on campus doesn’t foster a sense of safety—it reinforces a feeling of being constantly watched, judged, and distrusted.

The New York City Public School (NYCPS) system is the largest in country, shaping the lives of nearly 1 million students with a commitment to building “resilient kids [and] safer schools.” In addition to social emotional learning programs for elementary schools and restorative justice practices for middle and high schools, school-based health centers are part of a broader continuum of support that helps youth navigate challenges related to their emotional wellbeing and mental health. School-based health centers provide critical early access to mental health care, improving educational attainment and advancing health equity.

When students act out due to behavioral and emotional health challenges, overburdened teachers and administrators can be quick to resort to punitive measures such as suspensions, expulsions, or even law enforcement involvement, effectively pushing students out of the classroom and into the criminal justice system.

According to a 2023 NYC Council report on law enforcement in the city’s public schools, the youngest student arrested was only 8 years old and the youngest put in handcuffs was 6. Black students are disproportionately more likely to be arrested, restrained, and handcuffed, and also are disproportionately restrained while they are in crisis.

The cascade of behavioral incidents and mental health crises that frequently results in arrests or disciplinary encounters with NYPD is largely a consequence of underinvestment in youth mental and behavioral healthcare.

Access to school-based mental health services reduces behavioral incidents, improves academic performance, and creates a greater sense of safety and belonging among students. Punitive responses to students’ behavioral and mental health crises are not only counterproductive, but also sends the message that students’ struggles are punishable rather than treatable. 

As trusted and familiar environments, schools play a foundational role in youth development and are the primary access point for 70 percent of youth who engage in mental health treatment. By making services directly available in schools, barriers disproportionately faced by racially and ethnically marginalized students—such as language, insurance gaps, or cultural stigmas—are reduced, creating a more equitable system of care for all young people.

Youth are in a growing mental and behavioral health crisis and need support. The CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) highlights an overall increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviors among youth from 2013 to 2023. Female and LGBTQ+ students experience disproportionate rates of risks related to substance use, violence, and suicidality. Schools are in a unique position to be able to identify at-risk students and take a proactive, equity-driven approach to early intervention that improves long-term mental health outcomes. 

Despite their proven impact, school-based health centers remain under-resourced and lack the capacity to meet the scale of student need: one in five adolescents report having unmet mental health needs, and less than 20 percent of NYC public schools have a school based-health center. In 2024, NYC Health + Hospitals announced an initiative to open 16 new mental health clinics in public schools; in common pursuit, the NYC Council has shown significant support for student mental health and peer led initiatives. What remains missing is a citywide, sustainable strategy that invests in staffing, reimbursement, and infrastructure to ensure every school can offer consistent mental health care. 

At the same time, recent Medicaid cuts and ongoing transitions to managed care billing threaten to reduce reimbursement for services and destabilize already limited funding streams. Without deliberate attention to the financial infrastructure that sustains them, school-based health centers cannot expand, or even sustain, care. 

High quality, no-cost mental and behavioral health services should be prioritized for all students across the city’s public schools. Reallocating just a fraction of NYCPS’s $300 million budget in school policing would allow the system to move from crisis response to prevention. Further, strengthening and safeguarding Medicaid reimbursement for school-based services would ensure these crucial programs are sustainable and available.

On Jan. 22, Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined NYC Health + Hospitals and MetroPlusHealth to announce the launch of two new adolescent health clinics. His early and strong support for adolescent services, combined with commitments to early-life interventions—such as universal childcare—presents a powerful and timely opportunity to advance school-based health programs as a core strategy for prioritizing the health and wellness of the city’s children.

To truly uphold its commitment to ensuring student safety and school security, NYCPS must shift away from punitive disciplinary responses and show students that their mental health matters. Expanding school-based mental health care means meeting young people where they are and scaling proven models that ensure every student has access to the resources they need to thrive.

Gianna Uy is a Master of Public Health candidate in health policy and management at Columbia University, with a certificate in social determinants of health and a focus on mental health policy and research. Dr. Robert Fullilove is a professor of sociomedical sciences and the associate dean for community and minority affairs at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. 

The post Opinion: Shifting from Punitive Discipline to Preventative Care in NYC Public Schools appeared first on City Limits.

By FATIMA HUSSEIN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS erroneously shared the taxpayer information of thousands of people with the Department of Homeland Security, as part of the agencies’ controversial agreement to share information on immigrants for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U.S, according to a new court filing.

The revelation stems from a data-sharing agreement signed last April by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, which allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records.

A declaration filed Wednesday by IRS Chief Risk and Control Officer Dottie Romo stated that the IRS was only able to verify roughly 47,000 of the 1.28 million names ICE requested.

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For less than 5% of those individuals, the IRS gave ICE additional address information, potentially violating privacy rules created to protect taxpayer data.

Romo added that Treasury notified DHS in January of the error and requested DHS’ assistance in “promptly taking steps to remediate the matter consistent with federal law,” which includes “appropriate disposal of any data provided to ICE by IRS based on incomplete or insufficient address information.”

The IRS-DHS agreement set off litigation between advocacy groups and the federal government last year.

Public Citizen filed a lawsuit against the Treasury secretary, the Homeland Security secretary and their respective agencies on behalf of several immigrant rights groups shortly after the agreement was signed.

Most recently, a Massachusetts federal court ordered the IRS to stop sharing residential addresses with ICE. And last November, a federal court blocked the IRS from sharing information with DHS, saying the IRS illegally disseminated the tax data of some migrants last summer.

The news of the erroneous disclosure was initially reported by The Washington Post. A spokesperson from the IRS did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment.

Advocates fear that the potential unlawful release of taxpayer records could be used to maliciously target Americans, violate their privacy and create other ramifications.

Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen said that “this breach of confidential information was part of the reason we filed our lawsuit in the first place. Sharing this private taxpayer data creates chaos and, as we’ve seen this past year, if federal agents use this private information to track down individuals, it can endanger lives.”

Tom Bowman, policy counsel for the Center for Democracy & Technology said that “the improper sharing of taxpayer data is unsafe, unlawful, and subject to serious criminal penalties.”

“Once taxpayer data is opened to immigration enforcement, mistakes are inevitable and the consequences fall on innocent people,” Bowman said. “The disclosure of thousands of confidential records unfortunately shows precisely why strict legal firewalls exist and have — until now — been treated as an important guardrail.”

The first time Maren Overgaard recalls skiing with her sister Alyda, things didn’t go so well.

“I was in eighth grade,” the senior at St. Paul Academy and Summit School said. “She was in sixth grade, so she hadn’t joined the team yet. But we were on the Birkie trail in Cable, Wisconsin, and Alyda broke my pole!

“I can still remember her just trying to keep up with me on those hills.”

It went much more smoothly Wednesday when Maren and Alyda, now a sophomore, teamed up to win the girls team sprint title at the state Nordic ski meet at Giants Ridge in Biwabik.

The duo finished in a time of 14 minutes, 20.3 seconds, outpacing the second-place team of Nora Deisz and Keira Dahlquist of Minneapolis Southwest that finished in 14:29.19.

“There were no broken poles this time,” Alyda said with a laugh. “I made sure of that. And I stayed on my feet this time, too. There were no falls.”

Maren – who has competed at the state meet since she was in seventh grade – was a defending champion in the sprint, having captured the state title with partner Inga Wing a year ago.

But she said this time was even more special, both because it marked her final high school race, and she got to complete it with her sister.

“I’ve been to state every single year, but this one definitely had a different tone to it,” Maren said. “I told myself in the lead-up this week to make sure to slow down and soak it all in.

“I knew this would be my last race, and to be able to share that with my sister was really cool.”

The siblings actually had a conversation after head coach Maxemilian Lundgren paired Alyda with her sister.

“She sat me down a couple months ago and told me she wanted to win the whole thing,” Maren said. “We were both really excited that we were going to get the chance to share this experience together.”

“I actually said it as a joke,” added Alyda, who was watching from the top of the hill when her sister and Wing won last season. “I mean I did want to win. But classic is not my favorite technique, and I wasn’t feeling very confident in my abilities. But we worked through that.”

Indeed they did … well enough to end up as state champions.

“Classic isn’t Alyda’s favorite technique, but once she was assigned to the relay, she threw herself into it every week and wound up skiing faster than I could have possibly imagined,” Lundgren said. “And Maren is just an amazing technician. I wasn’t surprised at all she was as dialed in as she was today.”

The team of Eden Prairie seniors Ani Dirks and Sydney Bond finished fourth overall in the girls race in a time of 14:44.37. St. Paul Highland Park senior Madeleine Klevay and junior Alice Rapacz finished in sixth place in a time of 15:07.21

St. Paul Central was one spot away from making the final, ending up ninth overall with a heat time of 15:42.18. Stillwater finished 10th (15:44.45), Forest Lake finished 19th (16:30.02), Roseville finished 21st (16:39.34) and Eagan finished 22nd (17:07.85).

In the boys sprint team final, the day belonged to a Stillwater duo who each felt they had something to prove.

Senior Talbot Ward competed at state in this event two years ago when he and partner Charlie Sanderson finished ninth overall, one spot away from qualifying for finals. Junior Wyatt Wolfe, meanwhile, was in the event last season. But he and partner Mo Schollett finished 13th, also missing the finals.

In fact, no Stillwater boys team had previously advanced to the sprint finals. But that changed Wednesday when Ward and Wolfe won the boys race in a time of 12:16.69.

“There’s been a smile on my face since we finished,” Ward said. “I can’t describe how good this feels.”

“It was so much fun,” Wolfe added. “I don’t even know what to say right now. Last year was a little disappointing. It didn’t go the way we were hoping it would.

“But to come back and win it all today was a huge redemption.”

That exhilaration was shared by Ponies head coach Torry Kraftson.

“I couldn’t be more proud of these guys,” he said afterward. “Since they started the sprint relay here, we’ve never had a boys team make a final. So just seeing them get there was quite thrilling in itself. But then to watch the way they skied in the finals was incredible.

“I don’t have enough words to describe it.”

The St. Paul Academy and Summit School duo of Sam Hilton and Darien Hull placed sixth in a time of 12:55.34.

Not making the final in the boys race was Como Park, which finished 11th with a heat time of 13:21.70. Mounds Park Academy was 16th (13:29.05), Mounds View was 20th (13:37.67) and Rosemount/Apple Valley/Eastview was 24th (14:55.21).

State Nordic competition continues Thursday with the girls and boys individual pursuit.