On Monday morning an ICE agent, working as part of the Enforcement Removal Operations team, fired a weapon in Biddeford, Maine. The target was a Colombian national driving a white sedan near an address where ICE was observing a person with a final order of removal. The agent claimed the vehicle tried to flee, prompting the officer to discharge his firearm and hit the driver.
The shooting, which occurred at 07:00 EDT, followed a similar event one week earlier in Texas where an ICE officer fatally shot a migrant during a traffic stop. Both incidents have prompted protests from local communities and raised questions about the use of deadly force by federal agents.
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said the ICE agent has been placed on leave pending an investigation, while Senator Susan Collins has requested that the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general examine whether the shooting was justified. Collins has called for a transparent inquiry, and the Arizona–Northern District of Maine has urged federal officials to provide detailed information about the circumstances of the incident.
The Colombian embassy confirmed that the deceased was a 26‑year‑old national who was authorized to work in the United States. Early reports indicated he lived in the area with his wife and daughter. Several witnesses described the scene, noting that ICE agents arrived in an unmarked white SUV, shouted, surrounded the sedan, and fired multiple shots.
Supporters of the policy demands that ICE revise its enforcement tactics. Following the shooting, protests erupted near Collins’ office, with demonstrators demanding arms of accountability. Whether the agent believed the driver posed a threat remains unclear as the investigation proceeds.
