BIDDEFORD (United States): A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shot a 26-year-old Colombian man in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday, marking the second fatal shooting involving federal immigration agents in less than a week and intensifying scrutiny of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement.
The incident occurred during an ICE operation targeting a person with a deportation order.
Initially, Senator Angus King said he had been informed the victim was the subject of the arrest warrant.
However, he later revealed that Homeland Security officials clarified the man who was killed was not the intended target.
King called for a “full, transparent and open investigation” and noted that the agents involved were reportedly not wearing body cameras.
According to ICE, officers attempted to stop a vehicle after conducting surveillance at the last known address of a person facing deportation.
The agency said the driver tried to flee, prompting an officer to open fire out of concern for public safety.
The wounded driver later died.
The FBI has launched an investigation, while the officer involved has been placed on administrative leave.
Witness Daniel Boucher said he heard several gunshots before seeing agents pull a bloodied man from a vehicle.
He claimed the victim said, “I tried to stop”, before collapsing.
Immigrant rights groups identified the victim as a Colombian national legally authorised to work in the United States and condemned the killing.
Maine Governor Janet Mills described reports that the victim was not the intended target as “disturbing and infuriating”, accusing immigration authorities of conducting reckless enforcement operations.
The shooting prompted vigils and protests in Biddeford, with demonstrators demanding accountability.
The case follows the fatal shooting of a Mexican man by an ICE agent in Texas last week, adding to growing criticism of the agency’s use of force during immigration operations. – AFP
