Father of 3-Year-Old Daughter Among Latest Fatalities in U.S. Immigration Crackdowns

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In the United States, three more people have died over the past week during immigration enforcement operations. As criticism mounts that these deaths are the result of aggressive enforcement driven by daily arrest quotas, authorities have decided to temporarily suspend vehicle stop-and-search operations.

Reporter Kim Yongtae has the story.

[Reporter]

On July 14, local time, a Mexican man died after being struck by a large truck while fleeing from immigration enforcement in Florida.

A day earlier, an immigrant from Colombia also lost his life in the northeastern state of Maine.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents approached a white sedan that was driving in circles. After colliding with the enforcement vehicle, the car came to a stop, and the driver was seen being pulled out helplessly.

The victim was 26-year-old Guerrero, a Colombian man and father of a 3-year-old daughter, who died after being shot five times.

Human rights groups stated that Guerrero had been residing in the country legally after being issued a Social Security number.

[Catholine Duran / Bereaved Family Member: Guerrero was a man who only went between his home and his workplace. He was devoted to his family.]

Last week, a Mexican national was also killed by an ICE agent during a vehicle stop in Houston, Texas.

Amid criticism that immigration authorities are conducting reckless crackdowns to meet a daily quota of 2,000 arrests, public outrage has reignited, echoing the backlash that followed the deaths of two Americans in Minnesota earlier this year.

[Murad / New York Immigration Coalition Executive Director: To see people losing their lives in the middle of the day on the streets in front of their families is chilling for everyone.]

Immigration authorities have taken a step back, deciding to temporarily suspend vehicle stop-and-search operations, which carry a high risk of confrontation.

[Angus King / U.S. Senator from Maine: I learned five minutes ago that ICE has suspended vehicle stops. It is an admission that it is dangerous.]

The agency also plans to expand the use of body-worn cameras to increase the transparency of its operations.

However, as there has been no fundamental change to the policy of aggressive crackdowns on illegal immigrants, the conflict and controversy are expected to continue.

(Video by Park Chun-bae)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.