Fleeing Illegal Escapes ICE Only to Be Struck By SUV: He Didn’t Make It
A 52-year-old Guatemalan man died on Thursday after being struck by an SUV while fleeing a federal immigration raid in Monrovia, California.
According to KABC-TV in Los Angeles, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were conducting a raid at a Home Depot that morning. During the operation, Carlos Roberto Montoya reportedly fled the scene and attempted to cross the nearby 210 Freeway, where he was hit by a vehicle traveling at an estimated 50 to 60 miles per hour.
Montoya was transported to a nearby hospital but later died from his injuries.
In a statement to KABC-TV, the Guatemalan Consulate in Los Angeles expressed its condolences, saying it was in contact with Montoya’s family and providing support. ICE later stated to the Los Angeles Times that Montoya was not a target of the raid and that the agency was unaware of his death until hours after the incident.
While Montoya’s immigration status was not explicitly stated in reports, he was referred to as a “Guatemalan national.” Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) said Montoya had lived in the U.S. for three years. She criticized the federal government’s approach to immigration enforcement, calling Montoya’s death “a direct result of the Trump administration’s strategy of sowing fear and intimidation.”
A vigil was held Friday by Montoya’s family, friends, and community advocates in his memory.
During Thursday’s raid, ICE reportedly detained more than a dozen individuals. The operation comes amid increased attention on immigration enforcement. According to Fox News, over 100,000 Americans have applied to join ICE since the agency launched a major recruitment push in July.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem encouraged new applicants, emphasizing the need for agents to help remove what she described as “the worst of the worst criminals” from the U.S.
“This is a defining moment in our nation’s history,” Noem said. “Your skills, your experience, and your courage have never been more essential. Together, we must defend the homeland.”
This story was originally published by The Western Journal.
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