Additional Coverage:
A Mexican man visiting Florida was tragically killed after being struck by a truck while attempting to evade immigration agents.
The victim has been identified by Colectivo Árbol, a farmworkers’ advocacy group, as Juan Jairo Coronilla Duran, a 28-year-old father of two from San Luis de La Paz in central Mexico. Duran was in the United States on a valid tourist visa and had entered the country three weeks prior for a vacation. He had been in Florida for only two days when the fatal incident occurred on July 14, according to Isaret Jeffers, a spokesperson for Colectivo Árbol.
“He was scheduled to return home this past Saturday and had already purchased his flight,” Jeffers said. “Unfortunately, his return did not go as planned.”
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Duran was fleeing an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents at the time of the accident. Details from the Department of Homeland Security have not been released since the incident.
A witness at the scene described seeing Duran run from two unmarked SUVs that had boxed in his vehicle at a gas station. As he attempted to cross the highway median, he slipped and fell before stumbling into oncoming traffic.
“The traffic was moving fast, and he lost his footing without noticing the vehicles,” said Jose Rivera, who witnessed the crash. “He kept looking back but didn’t see the truck in time.” Rivera said he knew immediately that Duran had died after being struck by the tractor-trailer.
Duran’s death marks the third fatality involving immigration officials in just one week. Earlier in July, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican man, was fatally shot by federal agents in Houston on July 7, and Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian man, was killed in Biddeford, Maine, on July 13. Neither of those men were the intended targets of ICE.
In response to these incidents, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has launched an investigation into the deaths of at least 18 Mexican nationals since the start of former President Trump’s second term. Sheinbaum’s administration is reportedly considering pursuing criminal charges related to the cases.
“We extend our deepest condolences and solidarity to the families of the victims. Their pain is shared by the entire nation,” Sheinbaum stated on July 14. “No Mexican citizen should face abuse, excessive use of force, or human rights violations without protection.”