A 28-year-old Mexican citizen died Tuesday morning after being struck by a tractor-trailer while fleeing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents in St. Augustine, Florida. The man was one of four occupants in a vehicle stopped by agents in a gas station parking lot around 6:45 a.m.
All four individuals fled the vehicle on foot. The deceased man ran across a busy road, where he was hit by an oncoming semi-truck. Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reported that the pedestrian sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The 64-year-old truck driver stopped immediately and attempted to provide aid. FHP is investigating the fatality.
This death marks the third in approximately one week involving individuals fleeing or encountered by ICE agents. Previously, a man was reportedly shot and killed in Texas after allegedly attempting to ram agents with his vehicle, and another man was shot and killed inside a vehicle in Maine.
Hours after the Florida incident, the Trump administration issued an instruction for ICE agents to temporarily halt most vehicle stops nationwide, representing a significant policy change.