Mexican Tourist Killed by Truck While Fleeing ICE in Florida on July 14

Juan Jairo Coronilla Durán, 28, from Guanajuato, Mexico, died on July 14 after being struck by a semi-truck while fleeing from federal immigration officers in a St. Augustine, Florida gas station parking lot. Coronilla was in the United States legally on a tourist visa and had been in Florida for only two days. His death marks the third fatality in one week involving ICE enforcement operations, following fatal shootings in Texas and Maine, and has sparked renewed calls for oversight of the Department of Homeland Security.

How Coronilla died

On the morning of July 14, shortly after 7 a.m., Coronilla and three companions were in a vehicle at a gas station parking lot near St. Augustine when federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations approached. All four men fled on foot in different directions. Coronilla ran across State Road 16, slipped on wet grass, and was struck by a tractor-trailer owned by Eggland’s Best. He died at the scene. Florida Highway Patrol confirmed the incident, and the truck driver and witnesses attempted first aid.

Coronilla’s legal status and travel plans

Coronilla held a valid U.S. tourist visa and had traveled to the United States three weeks before his death. He first visited Atlanta, Georgia, to see family and friends, then traveled to Florida’s east coast to enjoy the beaches. According to his wife, Yezzika Alamilla, he planned to return to Mexico on July 18. An audio recording obtained by El País clarified that he came with a work visa, though initial reports cited a tourist visa. Coronilla left behind a seven-year-old son and a seven-month-old daughter in Mexico.

Three deaths in one week spark backlash

Coronilla’s death is the third fatality in seven days involving ICE enforcement. On July 7, ICE officers fatally shot a Mexican man in Texas. On July 13, a Colombian man was shot and killed by ICE in Maine. A fourth person died in ICE custody while being transferred to an immigration detention center in Georgia. The cluster of deaths has prompted public outcry and renewed calls from lawmakers and advocacy groups to rein in ICE and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, as they carry out the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign.

Unanswered questions about the encounter

The Department of Homeland Security has not publicly disclosed why federal agents initiated the encounter at the gas station or what happened to the three other occupants of the vehicle. The Highway Patrol and DHS cited an ongoing investigation but provided no additional details. Colectivo Arbol, a Florida-based farmworkers advocacy group, assisted Coronilla’s wife after she learned of his death while watching television news. The group said Coronilla’s wife had not heard from him before discovering his death through media reports.

Final Thoughts

Coronilla’s death raises questions about ICE enforcement tactics and the circumstances that prompted agents to approach the vehicle. With three deaths in one week, the agency faces mounting pressure to clarify its operational protocols and justify its actions during these encounters.

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