An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot a man during an immigration enforcement operation Monday morning in southern Maine, marking the second deadly encounter involving ICE officers in less than a week and intensifying questions about the agency’s use of force during vehicle stops.
The victim was identified by the office of Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, as Joan Sebastian Guerrero, though the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately identify him publicly.
Federal officials said agents were conducting surveillance at what they believed was the residence of a person living in the United States illegally who was subject to a final order of removal. Authorities said agents attempted to stop a vehicle that departed the residence, but the encounter quickly escalated.
According to DHS, the vehicle attempted to flee, prompting an ICE officer to fire his weapon.
“The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon,” the department said in a statement. The driver later died from his injuries.
Senator says victim was not person agents sought
Questions about the operation deepened after King’s office said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin initially indicated the driver was the target of an immigration warrant before later clarifying that he was not.
According to King’s spokesman, Matthew Felling, Mullin later informed the senator that agents had been searching for another individual.
“He said they were looking for someone, essentially, and the person they shot was not the person they were looking for,” Felling said.
It remains unclear why Guerrero was stopped or what connection, if any, he had to the individual agents were attempting to locate.
Witnesses describe chaotic scene
Residents reported hearing multiple gunshots shortly after 7 a.m. Monday near an intersection in Biddeford, a city of roughly 22,000 people south of Portland.
Video shared on social media appeared to show a vehicle with bullet holes in its windshield and a body lying nearby surrounded by federal agents.
Mary Hayes, who lives near the scene, described hearing anguished cries from family members.
“I heard agony,” Hayes said. “I heard a howl that came from your soul, that your whole life had just changed and it was never going to be the same.”
Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said her office had received reports that ICE agents fired through the vehicle’s windshield.
As of Monday evening, no publicly available video had emerged confirming the government’s account that the vehicle posed an imminent threat.
Calls grow for independent investigation
Gov. Janet Mills said the Maine State Police and other agencies are coordinating with federal authorities to determine exactly what occurred.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, called for “a full and impartial investigation.”
Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain also urged authorities to conduct an independent review.
King noted that agents involved in the incident were apparently not wearing body cameras.
“So we have no video evidence of what occurred in this case,” the senator said.
Advocacy groups identify victim
Immigrant advocacy organizations identified the victim as a 26-year-old Colombian national.
The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente! Maine said Guerrero had a partner and a young child.
The Colombian Embassy confirmed it was assisting the victim’s family and said it had requested additional information from U.S. authorities regarding the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Latest in growing series of ICE shootings
The fatal shooting comes less than a week after another ICE-related killing in Houston, where immigration agents fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a longtime Mexican resident who authorities later acknowledged was not the original target of their operation.
Federal officials have repeatedly defended similar shootings by asserting that drivers “weaponized” their vehicles against officers.
Witnesses in the Houston case disputed that characterization.
According to multiple reports, at least 20 people have been shot at by immigration agents while inside vehicles since last fall, with several incidents resulting in fatalities.
Civil rights advocates have increasingly questioned the lack of body camera footage in many of those encounters.
Immigration enforcement intensifies
The shooting comes as the Trump administration significantly expands immigration enforcement nationwide.
Daily immigration arrests roughly doubled during the final week of June and have remained elevated as the administration pushes to increase deportations.
Maine, where immigrants account for approximately 5% of the population, has experienced heightened enforcement activity in recent months.
Earlier this year, ICE launched an enforcement operation in the state dubbed “Operation Catch of the Day,” resulting in hundreds of arrests.
Residents in Biddeford say federal immigration agents have become a regular presence in their neighborhoods.
The circumstances surrounding Guerrero’s death remain under investigation.
