A federal immigration officer shot and killed a Colombian man in Biddeford, Maine. This incident is the second in a week involving deadly force by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Senator Angus King, representing Maine, shared that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reported the man attempted to use his vehicle as a weapon against officers pursuing him for deportation. The shooting took place in Biddeford, a city located approximately 15 miles southwest of Portland, Maine.
The Maine Attorney General’s Office, alongside the FBI and other agencies, is investigating the incident. Preliminary statements suggest the man was attempting to flee towards an officer in his vehicle. The deceased was involved in an enforcement operation linked to a final order of removal. The ICE agent who fired the shots is on leave, which is a standard procedure following shootings involving officers.
Messages were sent to ICE and the Maine Department of Public Safety seeking comments, but there has been no response.
Advocacy groups Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente! identified the victim as a 26-year-old Colombian native who was authorized to work in the U.S. A neighbor, Mary Hayes, witnessed the aftermath and recounted the scene of the man’s wife mourning over his body while their daughter cried nearby.
Security footage from a laundromat near the scene showed the man’s vehicle rolling into the intersection after shots were fired, but Maine State Police have requested the footage not be released publicly. The ICE agents involved were not equipped with body cameras.
The incident sparked protests, with demonstrators gathering soon after the shooting. Protesters expressed anger and called for the removal of ICE from local communities. This shooting is part of a pattern linked to the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement efforts, leading to several fatalities.
U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree questioned ICE’s presence in Maine, while State Secretary Shenna Bellows voiced opposition to ICE operations in the state.
This is not the first ICE-related controversy in Maine. Earlier in the year, ICE conducted operations that led to public demonstrations against the agency. The operation was humorously named ‘Catch of the Day,’ referencing Maine’s seafood industry.
The Department of Homeland Security highlighted arrests involving serious crimes, although court records showed a mix of felony convictions and individuals with unresolved immigration status.
ICE arrest data from President Trump’s second term indicates increased enforcement, with a notable portion of arrests involving individuals with criminal backgrounds. However, a comparison with prior data shows a decrease in the proportion of those with criminal histories.
Immigration enforcement by the Trump administration has faced criticism, especially following similar deadly incidents elsewhere in the United States.