A Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally discharged his weapon at a vehicle that tried to flee an ICE watch in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday morning, killing a 26‑year‑old Colombian man whose name has not yet been released.
ICE said the agent was monitoring an address linked to a final order of removal and, upon spotting a car, feared for public safety when the motorists attempted to escape. The agent placed the officer’s weapon at the driver, who was struck and died.
The incident follows the fatal shooting of a Texas migrant by an ICE officer a week earlier, raising fresh alarm about the agency’s enforcement strategy.
Maine’s Attorney General, Democrat Aaron Frey, announced the officer was on leave pending an investigation and noted that the incident involved an agent from ICE’s Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) division.
Senator Susan Collins, a Republican who supports ICE funding, called for a "full and impartial investigation" and joined protesters outside her office after demonstrators gathered in Biddeford and near the Senator’s office to voice their opposition to federal enforcement practices.
Independent Senator Angus King reported that DHS chief Markwayne Mullin initially told him the victim was a target of a warrant, then later clarified that this was not the case. King added that the man was not the intended target, a claim that underscores the confusion over the operation’s objectives.
The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition identified the deceased as a 26‑year‑old Colombian man authorized to work in the U.S. and lamented the loss, describing him as a community member whose life was cut tragically short.
Witnesses reported seeing an unmarked white SUV and officers in green ICE vests. Lucas Scott, a Biddeford resident, recounted hearing at least four gunshots as the officers surrounded a white sedan. Another witness, Mary Hayes, described seeing a wife collapsing to the ground beside her dead husband’s body.
The incident joins recent ICE casualties, including a fatal shooting of a 52‑year‑old Mexican builder in Houston and the deaths of two Texas protesters, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, during the Trump administration’s enforcement surge. DHS leadership has shifted from Kristi Noem to Markwayne Mullin in March, and the agency’s violent tactics remain under scrutiny.
The ongoing investigation by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general will examine whether the use of deadly force was warranted, with officials promising transparency. Protests in Biddeford and outside Senator Collins’ office highlight the deep divisions over federal immigration enforcement.
