JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 28-year-old Mexican national died after being struck by a semi-truck while fleeing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in St. Johns County, spurring local activists to organize a rally at the Duval County courthouse.
The incident was among several deaths during ICE encounters that prompted a temporary nationwide directive from the Department of Homeland Security, which received pushback from President Donald Trump.
Florida Highway Patrol said agents with the Homeland Security Investigations division of ICE were conducting an operation in a gas station parking lot on State Road 16 when the man — one of four people inside a vehicle — ran from the scene across the busy road and was struck by a semi-truck. His name has not been released.
DHS issues temporary pause on vehicle stops
The man’s death in Florida was the third involving ICE in the span of two weeks. Similar incidents were also reported in Maine and Texas.
One day after the Florida death, DHS issued a temporary, nationwide directive ordering ICE to immediately cease most vehicle stops and pursuits.
Trump pushed back against the pause, posting on Truth Social, in part:
RELATED: DHS responds after encounter with ICE ends with man being killed by semi in St. Johns County
“The men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done.”
Trump added: “...Many were Criminals, and we have to get them out. In order to do this, we must be strong, tough, and smart, and we CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!”
Jacksonville rally set for Thursday
Maria Garcia, an organizer with the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance — a group that formed during the current Trump administration — said news of the man’s death sparked immediate outrage.
When asked about her reaction to the death, Garcia did not hold back.
“Just outrage at this system,” she said.
Garcia and others plan to rally at the Duval County courthouse on Thursday to demand an end to what they describe as ICE violence and to oppose local and state law enforcement agencies being granted authority to act as immigration enforcement — a program known as 287(g).
Dozens, if not hundreds, of people are expected to attend. Organizers say Thursday’s rally will not be the last, as they continue to push for broader changes to ICE operations.
Garcia said she sees the ICE detention and deportation initiative as politically motivated and harmful to immigrant communities.
“They don’t deserve this; they are here for just the same purpose as everyone else. To wake up, give their daily bread, provide for their families for a better future, and I hate to see them being treated like this purely for political gain,” Garcia said.
DHS defends ICE arrests
Despite the temporary pause on vehicle pursuits, DHS defended its broader enforcement efforts, posting photos of some of the men arrested and stating that “nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.”
The agency said it is focused on targeting “the worst of the worst,” including those with criminal records.