NORFOLK, Va. — We’re learning more about the man who died after running from federal immigration agents and being struck by a vehicle on Interstate 264 in Norfolk.
Federal officials initially identified him as Jose Castro-Rivera, but family members say his name was Josué Castro Rivera, a 24-year-old from Honduras.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, agents tried to detain Castro Rivera and three other passengers Thursday morning after pulling over their vehicle as part of what the Department of Homeland Security described as a “targeted, intelligence-based” operation. ICE said Castro Rivera “resisted heavily and fled,” running into traffic where he was hit by a passing vehicle.
Watch previous coverage: Man fleeing ICE agents dies after being hit by car on I-264
Virginia State Police said troopers responded around 11 a.m. to a vehicle-pedestrian crash in the eastbound lanes near the Military Highway interchange. They said the man was struck by a 2002 Ford pickup and died at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Family members told the Associated Press that Castro Rivera was headed to a gardening job that morning and had been living in the United States for about four years, sending money home to relatives in Honduras. His brother, Henry Castro, called his death “an injustice.”
“He didn’t deserve everything that happened to him,” Henry Castro said. “He had a very good heart.”He added that the family is now raising money to transport Josué’s body back to Honduras for burial.
Watch related: Advocates say fear is growing after 264 death by Honduran fleeing ICE
DHS officials have not commented further on the incident but reiterated that the outcome “could have been prevented had Castro Rivera complied with our officers.”
Immigration attorneys and advocates in Virginia said the case underscores growing fear within immigrant communities amid an escalation of federal enforcement actions nationwide.
The death in Norfolk comes as at least three other immigrants have been killed in separate ICE operations this summer in Chicago and California, drawing protests and calls for independent investigations into how agents conduct arrests.
