A 28-year-old Mexican national died Tuesday morning after running from federal immigration agents directly into the path of a tractor-trailer on State Road 16 in St. Augustine, Florida. The incident marks the latest in a string of fatalities connected to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations across the country.

Fatal Encounter During Federal Operation

The Florida Highway Patrol reported the death occurred around 6:40 a.m. during an encounter with Homeland Security Investigations and ICE agents. Four occupants of a vehicle fled when approached by federal agents. One man ran across the highway and was struck by the semi-truck. The truck driver immediately stopped and attempted to render aid, but the man died at the scene.

A veterinary nurse traveling to work witnessed the man running beside her vehicle before he entered oncoming traffic. Sara Clark Atkinson, along with another woman and an off-duty firefighter, rushed to help. Atkinson performed chest compressions while a bystander used her stethoscope to search for a pulse. Despite their efforts, the man could not be saved.

Part Of Troubling National Pattern

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed agents were conducting an operation that resulted in the death. Both HSI and the highway patrol are investigating the incident. The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office assisted with traffic control following the crash. Officials have not disclosed why federal agents initiated the encounter or the man’s specific immigration status beyond his Mexican nationality.

This death follows two other fatal ICE encounters within the previous week. On Monday, a 26-year-old Colombian national was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Biddeford, Maine. Seven days earlier, a Mexican immigrant was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Houston. Officials stated neither man was the target of immigration enforcement operations.

Growing Concerns Over Enforcement Tactics

Similar incidents have occurred repeatedly across the nation. Last August, a Guatemalan man died after being struck by an SUV while fleeing an immigration raid in Los Angeles. In October, a Honduran man was fatally struck on a Virginia highway while running from agents. In February, a teacher died when a man fleeing ICE crashed into her vehicle near her school.

Florida state Representative Angie Nixon called the death a tragedy resulting from an agency terrorizing communities. The Florida Immigrant Coalition stated that panic-driven responses to federal agent encounters are understandable, noting that whether someone runs or complies with ICE, death remains a possible outcome in current enforcement climate. The Department of Homeland Security faces mounting scrutiny over its operational tactics as these incidents accumulate.