A man was killed by a truck in Florida while fleeing a federal immigration operation on Tuesday, as confirmed by the Florida Highway Patrol. This incident marks the third death connected to immigration enforcement efforts in the past week. According to Master Sgt. Dylan L. Bryan of the Florida Highway Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents encountered a vehicle in a gas station parking lot in St. Augustine. Four individuals fled the vehicle on foot, including one who ran into the road and was struck by a tractor trailer.
The Florida Highway Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations are currently investigating the fatality of the Mexican national. The incident occurred around 7 a.m. on Tuesday. Shortly after, ICE reportedly ordered its agents to temporarily suspend most car stops following a request from Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine). This policy change comes in the wake of two fatal shootings involving ICE agents in Texas and Maine.
On Monday, an immigration agent fatally shot Colombian national Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine. Less than a week prior, an agent shot and killed 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, in Houston. The Department of Homeland Security later confirmed that neither individual was the target of an operation.
Senator Collins stated that the investigation into the Biddeford shooting raises significant questions, prompting her to urge Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops. These recent fatalities have led to criticism from some lawmakers, including Representative Seth Magaziner (D-Rhode Island), who condemned ICE during a House floor speech, questioning how many more people need to be killed.
Representative Michael McCaul (R-Texas) remarked that ICE's role should not include traffic stops, calling the recent deaths politically damaging. Republican Representative Byron Donalds stated that while no one wants to see fatalities, individuals should not flee from federal law enforcement.
The Florida Immigrant Coalition highlighted that these incidents are not isolated, suggesting that fear of ICE agents may lead individuals to flee. Adriana Rivera, the coalition's communications director, stated that it is understandable for someone to react in fear when pursued by agents, especially given the recent fatalities.