The father of Marine James Ray Walden III spoke out after ICE arrested Martin Martinez-Ballinas on July 22. Martinez-Ballinas, convicted in the 2017 hit-and-run that killed 21-year-old Walden, faces a third deportation after prior removals and a federal sentence for illegal reentry. Walden's father described his son as a gifted NSA crypto-analyst, criticized attempts to abolish ICE, and said enforcement could have prevented the tragedy.
Father Of Slain Marine Speaks Out After Convicted Driver Arrested; Suspect Faces Third Deportation
U.S. Marine James Ray Walden III was killed in a 2017 hit-and-run crash in Maryland. The man convicted in connection with the crash now faces a third deportation, according to federal authorities.
The father of U.S. Marine James Ray Walden III spoke publicly after federal authorities said they arrested the man convicted in his son's 2017 hit-and-run death. Martin Martinez-Ballinas, 38, a Mexican national, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on July 22 after completing a federal prison sentence for illegally reentering the United States.
James Ray Walden III served in the U.S. Marine Corps before he was killed in a 2017 hit-and-run crash in Maryland.
Martinez-Ballinas was previously convicted in connection with the 2017 Maryland crash that killed 21-year-old Lance Corporal James Ray Walden III. According to ICE and court records, Martinez-Ballinas was deported in 2020, apprehended in Texas in 2021 while attempting to reenter the country and sentenced to 15 months in federal prison. ICE said he was removed again in October 2022, but officials contend he later reentered the United States undetected and was arrested in Maryland in December 2023. After completing his federal sentence at a New Jersey facility, ICE reported taking him into custody again on July 22; federal authorities say he now faces a third deportation proceeding.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Martin Martinez-Ballinas on July 22 after he completed a federal prison sentence for illegally reentering the United States, according to the agency.
Victim and Family Response
Walden's father recounted that his son was riding a motorcycle when Martinez-Ballinas crossed into his lane and struck him head-on. He said the driver did not have a license or insurance at the time and that Maryland authorities had known the driver was in the country illegally, noting multiple prior arrests between 2012 and 2017 in which the suspect was released.
"My son was 21 years old. He was just starting his life," Walden said on The Will Cain Show. "He was in the Marine Corps. He worked for Intel. He worked for the National Security Agency as a crypto-analyst. He was extremely good at what he did... And all that ended in the blink of an eye."
Walden criticized proposals to abolish ICE, arguing that immigration enforcement can prevent tragedies like his son's death. He also praised former President Donald Trump for prioritizing immigration enforcement.
Official Statement
ICE confirmed Martinez-Ballinas's July 22 arrest and said the agency took custody after he completed his federal sentence for illegal reentry. The agency and federal authorities say he now faces removal from the United States for the third time. Local and federal officials have provided the timeline of deportations, reentries and arrests cited above; criminal and immigration proceedings are ongoing.
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