GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Community members filled the Grand Rapids City Commission on Tuesday night demanding answers after a 35-year-old immigrant died while fleeing from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Activists say Mario David Coronado Juarez, a drywall finisher from Guatemala, was on his way to work Sunday morning when ICE attempted to stop his vehicle. He fled and crashed into a tree near Century Avenue SW and McKendrick Street SW. The car caught fire, and Juarez was pronounced dead at the scene. He leaves behind a wife and three children in Guatemala.

"He was just on his way to work. He was an honest man. He was not a criminal. He was just a hard-working man going to work, trying to build a home for his family," said Karla Barberi, a community volunteer with Cosecha Grand Rapids who knew Juarez personally.

Barberi says Juarez's family in Guatemala did not learn of his death until 24 hours after the crash, when police contacted a relative to identify the vehicle. The family, living in a rural village, could not afford the six-hour trip to the nearest city to begin repatriation proceedings. The Guatemalan Consulate is now assisting the family.

Three demands at City Commission

Community advocates with GR Rapid Response to ICE and Cosecha Grand Rapids are making three demands: full transparency about the events leading to the crash, justice for those responsible, and passage of the Grand Rapids Privacy, Safety, and Dignity for All Ordinance. The ordinance is a package of six sanctuary policies that would bar the Grand Rapids Police Department from cooperating with ICE and ban Flock ALPR cameras.

"The fact that they asked businesses around not to share those videos with the public, that right there tells us a lot," Barberi said, alleging that the police instructed nearby businesses not to release surveillance footage to the family.

Multiple speakers described what they said was police cooperation with ICE during a Sept. 12 protest outside the ICE office at 517 Ottawa Avenue. One woman, Chloe Mulder, said she and four others were arrested for peacefully protesting while police helped an ICE van leave the facility.

"GRPD arrested five people for peacefully protesting on public property while simultaneously assisting ICE," Mulder said. "For you to continuously tell us GRPD is not cooperating with ICE is complete [expletive]."

State and federal responses

Grand Rapids police have said they were not involved in and had no knowledge of the ICE stop before being called to the crash site. Chief Joseph Trigg has requested that the Michigan State Police join the investigation, citing a limited ability to gather information from federal agents.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has directed the Michigan State Police to conduct an independent review of the law enforcement actions surrounding the crash, in coordination with the police department's investigation.

"Given the circumstances of this incident, the Governor has directed the Michigan State Police to conduct an independent review of the law enforcement actions surrounding this situation in coordination with the Grand Rapids Police Department's investigation," said Whitmer spokesperson Kaylie Hanson.

Democratic Rep. Hillary Scholten has sent a letter to ICE Acting Director David Venturella demanding immediate answers. The letter asks whether ICE was involved, whether agents pursued Juarez, whether body cameras and dash cameras were activated, and whether local law enforcement was notified. Scholten is requesting a written response by Sept. 27 and a formal briefing from ICE Field Office leadership to the Michigan Congressional Delegation.

"No traffic stop should end with a fatality. Something went wrong, and we need to know what and how," Scholten said. "The purpose of federal law enforcement is to make our communities safer. We must make sure that is happening."

The letter also asks ICE to confirm whether agents pursued the vehicle rather than discontinuing the stop, whether the pursuit was classified as high-risk, whether pursuing vehicles were marked or unmarked, and whether all body-worn and dash camera footage is being preserved.

Advocates say the state and federal responses do not go far enough. They want all communications between ICE, the police department, the fire department, and state police released to the public, along with any available video footage.

A vigil honoring Juarez is planned for Thursday at the corner of Century Avenue and 131 Southbound, where the crash occurred. A GoFundMe is being organized to help his family in Guatemala cover repatriation costs and to help finish building the home Juarez was constructing for his wife and children.

"We cannot wait for another tragedy to happen because of unacceptable inaction," one speaker told commissioners. "It is time to act."