Federal immigration officers were about half a mile away.

A man crashed a car at high speed and died in Michigan last weekend.

This happened in the U.S.

The man was in the country illegally.

Authorities said this on Thursday.

The statement came from Homeland Security.

It was meant to say no to any claim that officers were chasing him.

The crash happened on Sunday morning in Grand Rapids.

It killed Mario Coronado Juarez.

He was born in Guatemala.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told state police to investigate the death.

Friends and activists are angry about it.

Homeland Security said Juarez was not the target of the officers.

He was driving a car registered to another person.

That person was also in the U.S. illegally.

That person was wanted back in Guatemala.

The agency said officers tried to stop the car to check who was driving.

The driver drove away very fast.

Officers stopped the action right away for public safety, the agency said.

A short time later, officers saw smoke about half a mile away.

They found the car had hit a tree and caught fire, Homeland Security said.

The agency said officers tried to help Juarez and put out the fire.

Then Grand Rapids first responders arrived.

Juarez was in his 30s.

He died at the scene.

Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand supports a state police investigation.

He said Juarez's death happened during a national effort to make immigrant neighbors afraid.

Immigrant rights activist Gema Lowe said Juarez supported a wife and three children.

He worked in construction.

He was saving money to build a home in Guatemala.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten asked ICE to keep any video recorded by officers.