A Mexican tourist who was struck and killed by a semi-truck while fleeing US federal immigration officers in Florida was visiting the country on a valid tourist visa, according to reports published this week.
Tourist Dies During Immigration Operation
Juan Jairo Coronilla Durán, 28, died on 14 July after an encounter with federal officials, including personnel from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), at a gas station in Florida, according to state authorities.
Officials said federal agents approached Coronilla and four other men at the service station on the morning of 14 July. The group then ran from the scene. A spokesperson for the Florida Highway Patrol said Coronilla entered a roadway and was hit by a passing semi-truck.
Reports Detail Visit to the United States
According to the Miami Herald, Coronilla, who was from the Mexican state of Guanajuato, had arrived in the United States about three weeks before his death. He initially travelled to Atlanta to visit relatives and friends before heading to Florida two days before the incident to spend time at the beach.
The newspaper reported that Coronilla was visiting the country on a tourist visa.
His wife travelled to the United States after his death to make arrangements. An immigrant rights organisation, Colectivo Árbol, told the Miami Herald she had been unable to contact her husband and only learned of his death after seeing news coverage. The group said Coronilla is survived by a seven-year-old son and a seven-month-old daughter.
Death Among Recent ICE-Linked Incidents
Coronilla's death was one of four incidents linked to ICE operations within less than a week. Two people, one in Texas and another in Maine, were shot and killed by ICE officers. A fourth person died while in ICE custody during a transfer to an immigration detention centre in Georgia.
The series of deaths has prompted renewed criticism from members of the public and some lawmakers, who have called for increased oversight of ICE and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as they implement President Donald Trump's expanded immigration enforcement and mass deportation agenda.
Identity Confirmed
The Department of Homeland Security has not publicly identified Coronilla. However, the Associated Press confirmed his identity through a Mexican government official.
Although the Florida Highway Patrol initially described the incident as part of an ICE operation, a Homeland Security source familiar with the case told The Guardian that US Border Patrol agents were involved in the encounter.
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23 July 2026
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