Josué Castro Rivera, 24, Fatally Struck by Vehicle While Fleeing ICE Agents on Virginia Highway [VIDEO]

A 24-year-old Honduran national, Josué Castro Rivera, was killed after being struck by a vehicle while fleeing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Norfolk, Virginia last week.

According to his brother, Henry Castro, Rivera was on his way to his gardening job on Thursday when ICE officers attempted to detain him and three other passengers. Rivera ran on foot and tried to cross Interstate 264, where a 2002 Ford pickup fatally struck him. He was pronounced dead at the scene around 11 a.m. by Virginia State Police.

Rivera had been living in the U.S. for four years, sending money back to his family in Honduras. His brother described him as having “a very good heart” and called his death an “injustice.” The family plans to raise funds to return Rivera’s body to Honduras for a funeral.

Josué Castro Rivera, 24, Fatally Struck by Vehicle While Fleeing ICE Agents on Virginia Highway

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated the operation was a “targeted, intelligence-based” action and said Rivera “resisted heavily and fled,” resulting in his death. DHS added that the incident was “a direct result of every politician, activist, and reporter who continues to spread propaganda and misinformation about ICE’s mission and ways to avoid detention.”

Similar deaths during immigration operations have sparked public outrage. Last month, federal agents fatally shot a Mexican man during a traffic stop in a Chicago suburb, and in July, a farmworker died after falling from a 30-foot roof during an immigration raid in Southern California.

Rivera’s death has reignited discussions about ICE enforcement methods and safety during immigration operations.