The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is defending federal immigration officers after a Guatemalan man died in a high-speed car crash in Michigan, saying officers were about half a mile away and had already ended their enforcement action before the crash occurred.

Mario Coronado Juarez died Sunday morning in Grand Rapids after the vehicle he was driving crashed into a tree and caught fire. His death has prompted anger among friends and immigrant rights activists, while Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has directed state police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Juarez was not the specific target of the immigration operation. Authorities said the vehicle was registered to another person who was also allegedly in the U.S. illegally and was wanted for removal to Guatemala.

DHS said immigration officers attempted to stop the vehicle to confirm the driver’s identity. According to the agency, the driver then fled at a high rate of speed.

The agency said ICE officers immediately discontinued the enforcement action because of concerns about public safety. A short time later, officers reportedly saw smoke about half a mile from the location of the attempted stop and discovered that the vehicle had crashed into a tree and caught fire.

Federal officers attempted to assist Juarez and extinguish the fire before local emergency responders arrived. Juarez, who was in his 30s, died at the scene.

The circumstances have drawn increased attention to federal immigration enforcement as the Department of Homeland Security expands its operations and hires thousands of additional officers.

Questions have also been raised about cases in which immigration officers pursue or detain people who turn out not to be the individuals they were seeking. In Evanston, Illinois, a U.S. citizen was left injured on the roadside Sunday following a confrontation with immigration officers who police said had mistaken him for a fugitive.

Homeland Security said the man initially refused to identify himself despite what the agency described as lawful commands.

Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand has expressed support for the state police investigation into Juarez’s death. The Grand Rapids Police Department said its officers were not involved in the incident and only responded after being called to the crash site.

LaGrand said the circumstances of Juarez’s death occurred amid a broader national immigration enforcement campaign that he said had created fear among immigrant communities.

Juarez was working in construction in Grand Rapids and supporting his wife and three children, according to immigrant rights activist Gema Lowe. She said he had been saving money to build a home for his family in Guatemala, where they live.

Lowe led a gathering outside Grand Rapids City Hall on Tuesday, where supporters chanted Juarez’s name and called for greater scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, who represents Grand Rapids, also sent a detailed letter to ICE requesting information about the incident and asking that any video recorded by federal officers be preserved.

The state police investigation is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the attempted stop, the crash and the actions of the officers involved.

SOURCE: Associated Press, Ed White, updated September 25, 2026.