Undocumented driver’s alleged hit-and-run leaves Miami senior on life support, ICE seeks custody

An undocumented Guatemalan, Tomas Raymundo Brito, is accused of a hit-and-run that critically injured 74-year-old Geraldine Byrd in Miami-Dade, prompting ICE to request his continued detention.

Early Sunday morning in Miami-Dade County, 74-year-old Geraldine Byrd was allegedly run over twice by Tomas Raymundo Brito, an undocumented Guatemalan who had consumed five beers, after she stepped out of her car to open her gate. Witnesses reported a loud boom and cries for help as Byrd became trapped beneath Brito’s truck, and she was subsequently airlifted to a hospital where she remains on life support. A relative pursued Brito and discovered him concealed in a shed, leading to his arrest; he admitted driving the vehicle and faces charges of hit-and-run causing serious injury and unlicensed driving.

ICE lodged a detention request with the Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, and the county’s corrections department confirmed it will hold Brito for the legally required 48-hour period. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin urged Miami-Dade officials not to release Brito, citing the case as proof that illegal immigrants with criminal conduct should be removed. Local officials noted that Miami-Dade is not a sanctuary jurisdiction and cooperates with federal immigration enforcement.