A Guatemalan Construction Worker Dies in a Fiery Crash After ICE Tries to Pull Over the Wrong Man in Grand Rapids — Hillary Scholten Says "No Traffic Stop Should End With a Fatality," Gretchen Whitmer Orders a State Police Review, and Rashida Tlaib Says "These Killings Have to Stop"
Around 7 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, ICE officers attempted a traffic stop near Hall Street and Century Avenue in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The driver, Mario David Coronado Juárez, a Guatemalan construction worker who had lived in the city for about seven years, fled at high speed and crashed into a tree about a mile away; the car caught fire and he died at the scene. DHS later confirmed that he was not the vehicle's registered owner — the person ICE was looking for — and said officers "immediately discontinued the enforcement action." Rep. Hillary Scholten, who represents Grand Rapids, wrote to ICE demanding answers, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer directed the Michigan State Police to conduct an independent review alongside the Grand Rapids Police Department's investigation.
“ICE killed another man. His name is Mario David Coronado Juarez. Mario lived and worked in Michigan for 7 years as a construction worker, sending money home to his kids in Guatemala. ICE pursued him in an unmarked car, causing a fatal car crash. These killings have to stop.”