Immigration officials released a statement on Thursday, Sept. 24, claiming they weren't chasing Mario David Coronado Juarez, an undocumented Guatemalan immigrant, when he was killed after crashing his car in Grand Rapids over the weekend.
"As officers attempted the stop to confirm the identity of the driver, the driver of the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed. In the interest of public safety, ICE officers immediately discontinued the enforcement action," the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said via email on Thursday, Sept. 24.
The Michigan State Police, who were asked by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to review the incident, did not immediately respond to questions about the ICE statement.
Federal officials claim Coronado Juarez was driving over
100 mph when the crash occurred and that he was not the vehicle’s registered owner.
"ICE officers attempted a stop of a vehicle registered to a known criminal illegal alien with multiple alcohol related driving offenses who is also wanted in Guatemala for a drunk and disorderly charge, during a targeted enforcement operation in Grand Rapids, Michigan," the DHS statement said.
"A short time later, officers saw smoke nearly half a mile from the attempted stop and discovered the vehicle had crashed into a tree and caught fire. Officers immediately attempted to render aid and extinguish the fire until the Grand Rapids Police Department and Fire Department arrived," the statement said. "Resisting officers and evading arrest is dangerous for our officers, illegal aliens, and the public."
DHS said Coronado Juarez had been previously removed from the United States in 2021 by the U.S. Border Patrol.
"Coronado-Juarez was an illegal alien from Guatemala who was previously removed by Border Patrol from the United States in 2021. He re-entered the country, a felony, at an unknown date and location," the DHS statement said.
The statement comes after the Grand Rapids Police Departmentsaid Coronado Juarez was driving southwest near Century Avenue and McKendrick Street at about 7:10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, when his vehicle crashed into a tree and caught fire.
ICE agents attempted to stop him before the crash and he fled, police said. The driver of the vehicle, the only occupant, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Since Coronado Juarez's death, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has directed the Michigan State Police to conduct a review of the incident, according to spokesperson Kaylie Hanson.
A vigil for Coronado Juarez is planned at the scene of the crash at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: DHS: ICE wasn't 'chasing' man who died in Grand Rapids car crash
