An ICE shooting in Maine has left a motorist dead in Biddeford. A federal immigration officer shot the man on Monday morning. It’s the second time in a week that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have used deadly force, and at least the ninth such incident since President Donald Trump returned to office. Protesters have taken to the streets demanding accountability from the agency.
Victim Identified as 26-Year-Old Colombian Man
A neighbour and immigrant rights groups identified the man killed as 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero, a Colombian national. Officers shot him during an immigration enforcement operation in Maine on Monday morning. Advocacy groups say Guerrero was authorised to work in the United States and had been issued a Social Security number.
Conflicting Accounts of the Maine ICE Shooting
ICE agents were conducting surveillance on the last known address of an individual with a final deportation order, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Around 7 a.m. Monday, a vehicle left the residence. Officers attempted a traffic stop. DHS said the vehicle tried to flee, and an officer opened fire out of concern for public safety.
Independent Senator Angus King of Maine gave a different account. He said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin initially told him Guerrero was the target of the warrant, then called back hours later to say he was not. Democratic Congresswoman Chellie Pingree said she had heard, though not officially confirmed, that agents may have shot the wrong person.
The Maine attorney general’s office is also investigating the shooting. Preliminary statements indicate the motorist appeared to be driving toward the officer as he tried to flee, the office said. Officials placed the involved officer on administrative leave. The agents on scene were not wearing body cameras.
Eyewitnesses Describe the Scene
Neighbour Daniel Boucher said he heard a rapid series of shots before seeing the vehicle stopped near the curb, with an officer’s SUV behind it. Another resident, Mary Hayes, described watching Guerrero’s wife collapse beside his body in the street.
Part of a Wider Pattern of ICE Shootings
The Maine shooting came just days after an ICE officer fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant, during a traffic stop in Houston, Texas. More than 60 people have died in ICE shootings or in detention since Trump returned to office. The two recent killings have also revived scrutiny of the January shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.
ICE previously maintained a significant presence in Maine. The agency arrested 546 people in the state between the start of Trump’s second term and March 2026, according to federal arrest data. ICE said it ended “enhanced operations” in the state in late January following widespread protests.
