Juan Jairo Coronilla Duran, 28, was one of four individuals in a vehicle that stopped at a gas station parking lot in Florida before 7:00 AM on 14/7. According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), all four fled the vehicle upon encountering agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). During his escape, Duran ran across a busy road and was hit by a tractor-trailer.

U.S. authorities have not publicly identified the victim, but a Mexican official confirmed his name. The reason for this encounter, as well as the fate of the other three individuals in the vehicle, remains unknown.

Juan Jairo Coronilla Duran, 28, from Guanajuato state, Mexico. *Photo: Colectivo Arbol*

This incident marks the third death in approximately one week related to encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, following fatal shootings in Texas and Maine.

According to Isaret Jeffers, founder of Colectivo Arbol, a farmworker support group, Coronilla Duran had traveled from San Luis de la Paz, in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, to Atlanta to visit family and friends. He had been in Georgia for three weeks before arriving on Florida's east coast.

Yezzika Alamilla, Duran's wife, told Jeffers that her husband entered the U.S. on a tourist visa. She believes her husband "fled because he was so panicked." The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not responded to requests for comment regarding the validity of Coronilla Duran's visa.

Representatives from the Florida Highway Patrol and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation.

Jeffers stated that a day after her husband's death, Alamilla contacted Colectivo Arbol, expressing her desire for assistance to travel to the U.S. to repatriate her husband's remains. The organization purchased her plane ticket and covered her accommodation until 20/7. Subsequently, the Mexican Consulate took over and continued to provide her with support.

SR 16 road in Florida was blocked after the fatal traffic accident. *Photo: AP*

Duran's body will be transported back to Mexico on a commercial flight from Orlando and buried in his hometown of San Luis de la Paz. Coronilla Duran and Alamilla have two children: a 7-month-old daughter and a 7-year-old son.

Coronilla Duran's death is the 10th case related to encounters with immigration officers since President Trump launched a mass deportation campaign last year.

The incident occurred one day after an ICE officer shot and killed a Colombian man in Biddeford, Maine. Just a few days prior, on 7/7, an ICE officer shot and killed a Mexican citizen in Houston who had lived in the U.S. for many years.

By Hoang Lan (Based on reports from AP and Reuters)