US Politics
Virginia man killed fleeing ICE as he ran out onto busy highway
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A man fleeing immigration agents in Virginia was killed when he ran onto a busy highway and was struck by a car, according to officials.
Police named Jose Castro-Rivera, 24, of Honduras, as the deceased individual.
Agents were conducting a vehicle stop as part of a “targeted, intelligence-based immigration enforcement operation” when the man “resisted heavily and fled the scene onto a busy highway,” according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Castro-Rivera was then hit by a pickup truck on Interstate 254 at the Military Highway Interchange in Norfolk, according to Virginia State Police, who were not involved in the chase but are investigating the death.
ICE officers attempted to give the 24-year-old CPR at the scene, though he succumbed to his injuries, DHS said.
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“The officer then informed the three detained aliens that their friend had deceased,” according to the agency. “He then grieved and prayed with them.”
A similar death occurred in August, when Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez of Guatemala died after running onto a highway in Monrovia, California, during a chase involving immigration agents.
As part of the Trump administration’s deportation push, masked agents in unmarked cars have been surged to cities around the country and have often used aggressive, raid-style tactics against crowds in public places like Home Depot parking lots. Last month, more than two-thirds of those in ICE detention had no prior criminal conviction.
In September, a 79-year-old U.S. citizen and car wash owner sued federal immigration officials, alleging masked officers shoved him to the ground, dogpiled on top of him, and held him without charges or medical attention for 12 hours during a raid on his business.
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Earlier this month, a federal judge in Illinois temporarily barred agents from using rubber bullets, tear gas, and chemical munitions on protesters and journalists, following a lawsuit from press associations and faith leaders accusing Donald Trump’s administration of “a pattern of extreme brutality.”
At least 20 people have died in immigration detention this year, the deadliest in decades.
Immigration officials aim to nearly double the number of active immigration agents to 10,000 by early next year, utilizing an unprecedented $75 billion infusion of funding secured this summer.
As part of the hiring push, ICE has relaxed some of its prior recruiting standards.
