Press Conference demands an end to GRPD collaboration with ICE and justice for a Guatemalan man who died while attempting to flee ICE abduction

Earlier today Movimiento Cosecha, GR Rapid Response to ICE and No Detention Centers in Michigan held a Press Conference on Calder Plaza to call attention to the recent death of Mario David Coronado.

Mario David Coronado was a Guatemalan national who died on Sunday while attempting to avoid ICE who has attempting to abduct him on Century, near US 131 and Burton SW.

Karla Barbari also spoke during the Press Conference as a member of the Guatemalan community. Barbari spoke about the fact that the immigrant community, specifically the Guatemalan community, live in constant fear of ICE. She said that Coronado’s death was a direct result of the terror that immigrants face on a daily basis. Barbari also said that many in the immigrant community also fear and have little trust in the GRPD, which continues to collaborate with ICE.

Movimiento Cosecha organizer Gema Lowe invited the community to attend a vigil for Mario David Coronado on Thursday at 7:30pm at the spot where he died while attempting to avoid abduction by ICE – on Century, near US 131 and Burton SW. Lowe stated that Coronado’s family gave permission for the vigil to take place and they welcome public support in the fight for justice for Mario.

GRPD and ICE go hand in hand

The following statement was read by a volunteer organizer with GR Rapid Response to ICE. In their statement they address what happened to Mario David Coronado, the increased ICE abductions in Grand Rapids, the abolish ICE action on September 12th and a list of demands.

On Sunday, September 20th, 2026, Mario David Coronado died in a tragic car accident that ended in hitting a tree, because ICE agents, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Agents, were chasing him and he was terrified.

For the last couple of days, GRPD claimed they had no idea what had happened and an ask for Silent Observer tips from the public went out.

It was evident from the moment footage was shown that the same vehicles we at GR Rapid Response to ICE see kidnapping our neighbors all over Grand Rapids and parking at 517 Ottawa, were at the scene – that ICE was in fact involved in this accident and the reason that Mario is no longer with us.

Over 1,000 immigrants have been kidnapped in Michigan, just this year. 500 since mid-July.

The Grand Rapids Police Department, Mayor David LaGrand and the city commissioners will all tell you that GRPD does not work with ICE, we know for a fact that they do. We have been witnessing it with our own eyes for the past two years.

The same Grand Rapids Police Department that responded to Mario’s tragic death on September 20th, is the exact same Grand Rapids Police Department that arrested 5 community members that were resisting ICE on September 12th and threatened the rest of the crowd with chemical munitions right outside of the 517 Ottawa office in a public alleyway.

ICE and cops go hand in hand. The GRPD is complicit in collaboration with ICE. Pass the sanctuary policies that Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response have been calling for since 2025 so we can stop this horrific behavior and protect our community.

It is no longer acceptable to just say what is going on is wrong, it is time to ACT on it.

Our demands:

1. ICE, GRPD, State Troopers, firefighters, and other authorities involved must provide full transparency about the fatal accident of Mario David Coronado on Sunday September 20th, 2026, including releasing all available videos, emails, radio communications, and cellphone communications to the fullest extent, so the public and the victim’s family can know what transpired.
2. Bring to justice the agents responsible for the fatal accident that cost Mario David Coronado his life.
3. Immediately enact the “Privacy, Safety and Dignity for All” Grand Rapids ordinance to protect immigrant families in our community from ICE violence.

Tomorrow morning GRIID will be posting a story about the City Commission meeting, where community members attend after the Press Conference and speak to the GRPD collaboration and complicity with ICE abductions in Grand Rapids.