An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot a 26-year-old Colombian man during an enforcement operation in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday morning, according to reports from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and local officials . The shooting occurred just one week after another fatal ICE-involved shooting in Houston, intensifying scrutiny over the agency's tactics amid the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown .
The DHS stated that ICE agents were conducting surveillance on a residence linked to an individual with a final removal order when they attempted to stop a vehicle leaving the address around 7:00 a.m. EDT . According to an official statement, "the vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon," striking the driver . However, Maine Senator Angus King revealed that DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin later corrected the initial account, confirming that the deceased—identified by local lawmakers and neighbors as Joan Sebastian Guerrero—was not the actual target of the arrest warrant .
Guerrero, a Colombian national who advocates say was authorized to work in the U.S. and possessed a Social Security number, lived in the community with his wife and young daughter . Maine Governor Janet Mills expressed outrage over the development, stating that the death of a man "the government was not even looking for makes this tragedy even more disturbing and infuriating," and criticized the "reckless and haphazard manner" of current enforcement operations . The Colombian Embassy has formally requested "information and clarification" from the DHS regarding the incident .
Witnesses provided conflicting accounts of the moments leading up to the shooting. Lucas Scott, a local resident, told the Biddeford Gazette that he heard at least four gunshots and saw agents in green ICE vests surrounding a white sedan . Another witness, Daniel Boucher, said he heard the victim cry out, "I tried to stop," before the man died at the scene . Security footage obtained by the Associated Press shows the vehicle circling slowly in an intersection before officers extracted the driver . Senator King noted that the agents involved were not wearing body cameras, a critical absence that has fueled calls for transparency .
Why this matters
This fatal shooting is the second such incident in a week, following the death of 52-year-old Mexican builder Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston on July 7, who was also not the intended target of an ICE operation . It is at least the ninth death linked to ICE operations since President Trump's enhanced enforcement policies began . The DHS Office of Inspector General and the FBI have launched an investigation, and the Biddeford shooting has prompted significant local protests, with hundreds gathering outside an ICE detention center in Scarborough . In response to the back-to-back fatalities, ICE has reportedly been instructed to temporarily suspend most vehicle stops nationwide pending additional training for officers .
