GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents did not continue pursuing a driver before his fatal crash in Grand Rapids, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Mario David Coronado Juarez, 36, died Sunday, Sept. 20, after his vehicle struck a tree and caught fire. DHS estimates he was traveling well over 100 mph at the time of the crash.

Grand Rapids police said ICE agents had tried to stop the vehicle and Coronado Juarez fled. DHS said agents then discontinued the enforcement action in the interest of public safety. The department said Coronado Juarez was not the registered owner of the vehicle or the intended target of the stop.

DHS said Coronado Juarez, from Guatemala, was living in the United States illegally. According to the department, he had been removed from the country in 2021 and returned at an unknown date.

Grand Rapids Police Chief Joseph Trigg requested assistance from Michigan State Police, saying state investigators may be better positioned to establish the timeline and examine the circumstances preceding the crash. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has directed state police to conduct an independent review alongside the Grand Rapids police investigation.

Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand brought national talking points into the conversation. He said that Coronado Juarez’s death occurred amid what he described as a national effort to create fear among immigrants. The mayor acknowledged that he did not know what Coronado Juarez was thinking or feeling before the crash.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, whose district includes Grand Rapids, sent ICE a letter seeking details about the attempted stop. She also asked the agency to preserve body-camera footage, dash-camera footage and incident reports.