An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot a man Monday during a deportation operation in southern Maine.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, confirmed the incident occurred as agents were surveilling a home in Biddeford, Maine. According to DHS, ICE agents were trying to apprehend an illegal alien believed to be living at the address when they noticed a car leaving the property. As they initiated a stop, “the vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon.” In a separate statement, DHS also claimed that the driver had “weaponized his vehicle [against] law enforcement.”
The victim has been identified as Joan Sebastian Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian man who was authorized to work in the United States and does not appear to have had a removal order. Neighbors said he lived nearby with his wife and 3-year-old daughter.
The officer involved, who has not been identified, was placed on leave. DHS, the FBI, and Maine attorney general’s office are all actively investigating the incident. The Embassy of Colombia has also requested information.
Following the killing, protestors gathered in Biddeford and nearby towns for anti-ICE demonstrations. Some lawmakers blamed the shooting on the White House’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement, with Senator Angus King (I-ME) saying that federal officers “shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”
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