A 28-year-old Mexican national died on July 14 after being struck by a tractor-trailer in St. Augustine, Florida. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Juan Jairo Coronilla Durán was one of four individuals who fled on foot during an encounter with agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations at a gas station. Authorities stated Coronilla Durán ran into the path of an oncoming semi-truck while attempting to cross a road.
Representatives from the Mexican government and the advocacy group Colectivo Arbol stated that Coronilla Durán was in the United States on a tourist visa at the time of the incident. Isaret Jeffers, founder of Colectivo Arbol, reported that Coronilla Durán had been visiting family in Atlanta for three weeks before traveling to the Florida coast for vacation. The Department of Homeland Security has not yet confirmed his visa status.
The Florida Highway Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security have stated that investigations into the incident are ongoing. The Mexican consulate is currently assisting Coronilla Durán's widow with the repatriation of his remains to his hometown of San Luis de la Paz. This event follows two other recent fatal incidents involving ICE agents in Texas and Maine.