Juan Jairo Coronilla Durán, 28, died on 14 July after being struck by a semi-truck in Florida while reportedly fleeing federal immigration agents. He was visiting the U.S. on a tourist visa and had been in the country about three weeks. Coronilla's death is one of four recent fatalities linked to ICE-related operations, prompting fresh calls for oversight of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.
Tourist Killed While Fleeing Immigration Agents in Florida, Reports Say
People attend a vigil for Juan Jairo Coronilla Durán in St Augustine, Florida, on 15 July.Photograph: Kelly Jordan/AP
Juan Jairo Coronilla Durán, a 28-year-old Mexican national visiting the United States on a tourist visa, died on 14 July after being struck by a semi-truck in Florida while fleeing federal immigration agents, news reports say.
What authorities say: According to a statement from the Florida Highway Patrol, federal officers approached Coronilla and three other men at a gas station that Tuesday morning. All four men ran; Coronilla allegedly ran into traffic and was struck by a semi-truck. The patrol identified agents involved as working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while other sources told the Guardian that U.S. Border Patrol agents also participated in the operation.
Context and wider reaction
Coronilla's death is one of four fatalities tied to ICE-related operations in less than a week. Two people were shot and killed in separate incidents in Texas and Maine, and a fourth person died while being transferred to an immigration detention center in Georgia. The cluster of deaths has prompted renewed calls from members of the public and lawmakers for greater oversight of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Personal details
Reporting by the Miami Herald indicates Coronilla was from the Mexican state of Guanajuato and had been in the U.S. about three weeks. He had initially traveled to Atlanta to visit family and friends, then went to Florida to spend time at the beaches and had been in Florida for roughly two days when he was killed.
Coronilla's wife flew to the United States to make funeral arrangements after learning of his death while watching television, a local immigrant-rights group, Colectivo Arbol, told the Miami Herald. The group said he leaves behind a seven-year-old son and a seven-month-old daughter. DHS has not publicly identified Coronilla; the Associated Press confirmed his identity with a Mexican government official.
Note: Accounts differ about which federal agency took the lead. Official Florida Highway Patrol statements referenced ICE, while other sources indicated Border Patrol involvement.
This incident is part of a broader and contentious national debate over immigration enforcement practices, including the use of operations that can lead to risky encounters between federal agents and migrants or visitors.
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