Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) has ordered the Michigan State Police to conduct an independent review of a vehicle pursuit involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that ended in a fatal crash in Grand Rapids on Sunday.
Whitmer’s spokesperson, Kaylie Hanson, told The Hill on Thursday that the governor directed the state police to examine “the law enforcement actions surrounding this situation” in coordination with the Grand Rapids Police Department’s own investigation. The Detroit Free Press first reported the directive.
The crash occurred around 7:10 a.m. Sunday when a vehicle driven by Mario David Coronado-Juarez, who was alone in the car, struck a tree and caught fire near Century Avenue and McKendrick Street. Coronado-Juarez was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to a statement from Grand Rapids police, ICE personnel attempted to stop the vehicle before the crash, and the driver fled. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said ICE officers tried to stop a “known criminal illegal alien with multiple alcohol-related driving offenses” who was allegedly wanted for similar offenses in Guatemala. U.S. Border Patrol deported Coronado-Juarez in 2021, but he re-entered the country.
“As officers attempted the stop to confirm the identity of the driver, the driver of the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed. In the interest of public safety, ICE officers immediately discontinued the enforcement action,” the DHS spokesperson said. “A short time later, officers saw smoke nearly half a mile from the attempted stop and discovered the vehicle had crashed into a tree and caught fire.”
The spokesperson added that ICE officers tried to provide aid and extinguish the fire before local police and firefighters arrived. Officials estimated the vehicle was traveling well over 100 miles per hour at the time of the crash.
Grand Rapids Police Chief Joseph Trigg also called for an independent investigation by Michigan State Police, according to The Washington Post. The incident has drawn political attention, with Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.) sending a letter to ICE’s acting Director David Venturella demanding answers. “No traffic stop should end with a fatality,” Scholten wrote. “Something went wrong, and we need to know what and how. I have sent a letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement demanding immediate answers about what happened and a transparent investigation into facts we don’t yet know, so that we can prevent something like this from ever happening again.”
The crash comes amid mounting criticism of ICE following a series of high-profile incidents. In January, Minneapolis resident Renee Good died during an interaction with the agency. Her mother, Donna Ganger, said Tuesday she voted for President Trump “under the impression that these agents” protected U.S. citizens like her daughter. Earlier this week, ICE officers in Evanston, Ill., mistook a man “who resembled the target” before the man said during a confrontation that he was a U.S. citizen. The officers left after protesters appeared, fearing “they would be attacked,” according to Evanston police.
Organizers with the immigrant rights group Movimiento Cosecha Grand Rapids said Coronado-Juarez was married and had three young children, according to MLive. The group posted a video responding to the crash.
As the investigation unfolds, the case is likely to intensify scrutiny of ICE’s tactics and fuel broader debates over immigration enforcement. Michigan Democrats, including those in competitive races, have already seized on the incident. Recent polling shows Democrats leading in key Senate races in Michigan and New Hampshire, and the party is eager to keep immigration enforcement practices in the spotlight. The state police review, conducted alongside local authorities, will be closely watched as officials seek to determine whether federal agents followed proper protocols during the pursuit.
