A man was killed while attempting to flee on foot from agents of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) in the state of Florida, authorities said on Tuesday.
The man died after being struck by a tractor-trailer while running from agents in a petrol station parking area during the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, which said the information remains preliminary.
Three other people travelling in the same vehicle also fled the scene, authorities said.
The fatal incident occurred near the tourist city of St Augustine.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told the German Press Agency that the deceased was a Mexican national. The spokesperson described the incident as a law-enforcement operation but did not specifically refer to ICE.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the operation involved agents from both ICE and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the agency responsible for investigating cross-border crimes. No further details were provided.
Third death in days
Based on currently available information, the incident is at least the third death linked to ICE operations within a matter of days.
Last week, an ICE agent fatally shot a Mexican father in Houston, Texas, while a similar incident occurred this week in Biddeford, Maine, involving a 26-year-old Colombian migrant who, according to reports, may have been mistakenly targeted.
The latest deaths have intensified criticism of ICE in the United States, where the agency is responsible for enforcing President Donald Trump's policies aimed at curbing irregular immigration.
ICE agents, who are often heavily armed and frequently wear face coverings during operations, are tasked with carrying out the administration's mass deportation campaign.
The agency has faced growing scrutiny over its tactics, which critics describe as overly aggressive and, in some cases, inhumane.
Public criticism intensified further following the deaths earlier this year of two Americans, Renee Good and Alex Preti, in Minneapolis, as well as the release of video footage that raised questions about the official account of those incidents.
