"Guatemalan Migrant Accused of Police Officer's Death Released After Case Dismissed and Civil Rights Suit Filed"

Virgilio Aguilar Mendez, a Guatemalan migrant, has been released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's custody after charges were dropped in connection with the death of a Florida police officer. The officer approached Aguilar Mendez due to "suspicious behavior," leading to a struggle captured on body camera. The officer later suffered a heart attack and died, but an autopsy revealed he died of natural causes. Aguilar Mendez's lawyer claimed racial profiling and an "unlawful arrest," and the charges were dropped. The Guatemalan-Maya Center is advocating for Aguilar Mendez, who primarily speaks Mam, from a small Indigenous community in Guatemala.