Three immigrant men died within 24 hours across three states as US Immigration and Customs Enforcement intensified enforcement in 2026.
The deaths in Maine, Georgia, and Florida came as ICE apprehended nearly 50,000 people in July alone and doubled its workforce to over 22,000 officers and staff by September 2026.
On the morning of July 13, Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero was fatally shot by ICE officers in Biddeford, Maine.
Officers were reportedly targeting a different individual at his residence when they spotted Durán Guerrero driving away.
Officer David Brouillette fired shots, killing him.
The Department of Homeland Security said the officer fired fearing for public safety after Durán Guerrero attempted to flee.
Surveillance footage showed the vehicle moving slowly in circles after the shooting.
Hours later, Jesús Manuel Arenas-Silva died after losing consciousness on a transfer bus in Ocilla, Georgia.
He was being transferred between detention centers when he became unconscious and later died in hospital.
Less than a day later, Juan Jairo Coronilla Durán was killed in St Augustine, Florida, while fleeing immigration officers and struck by a semitruck.
Quieter Tactics, Rising Deaths
Throughout 2025 and early 2026, ICE conducted high-profile raids in major cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis, drawing protests and violent backlash, including fatal shootings during demonstrations.
Since early 2026, the Department of Homeland Security shifted tactics toward quieter, smaller operations involving collaborations with local law enforcement to make arrests.
Processing speed increased with less legal representation for detainees.
Andrew Free, a former immigration attorney and investigative journalist, noted the deadly impact of the administration’s enforcement approach.
"Three people dying in one day is an amplification of what we’ve already seen," Free said.
He added that policy choices since January 2025 have increased deaths both in custody and in the field.
Austin Kocher, immigration data expert at Syracuse University, explained that despite being less visible, enforcement remains aggressive.
"Deaths keep ticking up even though ICE’s current tactics have been less visible than the chaos in Minneapolis at the start of the year," Kocher said.
At least 31 people had died during interactions with immigration officials in 2026, including four shootings, 25 deaths in detention, and at least two deaths during attempts to flee, Coronilla Durán among them.
Gracie Willis, a rapid-response attorney, described the current ICE operations as swift and discreet, contrasting with earlier noisy raids.
"More quietly does not mean fewer arrests," Willis said.
Amnesty International recently reported allegations of racial profiling, excessive force, unlawful surveillance, and inhumane detention conditions in cities affected by ICE operations.
Executive Director Nadia Daar condemned the agency’s actions, stating they endanger communities rather than protect them.
Some Republican lawmakers have also criticized the enforcement approach, urging a focus on criminals rather than immigrants navigating the system.
Congressional Democrats highlighted that at least 22 people had been shot by immigration agents during the current administration, with some official accounts contradicted by evidence.
Since Trump’s return to office in 2025, more than 50 people have died in ICE custody, reflecting the escalating human cost of immigration enforcement policies.
