A Mexican national vacationing in Florida on a tourist visa died after fleeing from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations agents, according to officials and a group assisting his wife.
Juan Jairo Coronilla Durán, 28, was killed July 14 when he ran across a busy road in St. Augustine and was struck by a tractor trailer. Authorities stated he was one of four individuals in a vehicle that stopped at a gas station parking lot when agents approached. All four fled on foot.
Coronilla Durán's wife, Yezzika Alamilla, told the advocacy group Colectivo Arbol that her husband was in the U.S. as a tourist and not for work. She believes he ran because he was afraid. His travel to the U.S. on a tourist visa was confirmed by Susana Guerra Vallejo, an undersecretary for migrant assistance for Mexico's Guanajuato state.
Coronilla Durán had traveled from his home in San Luis de la Paz, Guanajuato, to visit family and friends in Atlanta, Georgia, staying for three weeks before heading to Florida's east coast for a beach vacation. His wife contacted Colectivo Arbol for assistance in repatriating his remains, and the Mexican consulate has since provided further help.
His death is the third in approximately one week involving encounters with ICE agents, following fatal shootings in Texas and Maine. The Highway Patrol and DHS are citing an ongoing investigation and have not released further details about what prompted the encounter or the status of the other three individuals.
Coronilla Durán is survived by his wife and two children, a 7-month-old daughter and a 7-year-old son. His body is scheduled to be transported to Mexico for burial in his hometown.