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๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States /Crime & Justice

Mexican man killed by truck after ICE encounter was on vacation, officials say

From CBS News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • A Mexican man vacationing in Florida died after running from federal immigration officers and into the path of a truck.
  • The 28-year-old was visiting the U.S. on a tourist visa to see family and friends before heading to Florida's beaches.
  • His death is the third in about a week involving encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

A Mexican man vacationing in Florida died after fleeing federal immigration officers and running into the path of a tractor trailer, according to officials and an advocacy group assisting his wife.

His wife said he was there on a tourist visa. She didn't understand what was happening. He didn't come to work; he wasn't working. He was here as a tourist.

โ€” Isaret JeffersFounder of Colectivo Arbol, a farmworkers advocacy group, relaying information from the deceased man's wife.

Juan Jairo Coronilla Durรกn, 28, died July 14 in St. Augustine, Florida. He was visiting the U.S. on a tourist visa to see family and friends in Atlanta before traveling to Florida's east coast for a beach vacation. His death marks the third in roughly a week involving encounters with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

She didn't understand what was happening. He didn't come to work; he wasn't working. He was here as a tourist.

โ€” Isaret JeffersFounder of Colectivo Arbol, a farmworkers advocacy group, relaying information from the deceased man's wife.

Coronilla Durรกn was one of four people in a vehicle stopped at a gas station when they fled from ICE and Homeland Security Investigations agents. He ran across a busy road and was struck by a semi-truck. The Florida Highway Patrol has not released further details, citing an ongoing investigation.

She thinks he was very afraid, and that's why he ran away.

โ€” Isaret JeffersFounder of Colectivo Arbol, a farmworkers advocacy group, relaying the wife's thoughts on her husband's actions.

His wife, Yezzika Alamilla, sought assistance from Colectivo Arbol, a farmworkers advocacy group, to repatriate her husband's remains. She told the group that Coronilla Durรกn was in the U.S. as a tourist and not for work. The Mexican consulate is also providing assistance.

had been in the United States for only a very short time (and) had a tourist visa

โ€” Susana Guerra VallejoUndersecretary for assistance to migrants and mobility issues for the Mexican state of Guanajuato, relaying information from the widow.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CBS News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.