A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a motorist in Biddeford, Maine, during an enforcement operation related to a deportation order. According to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the officer opened fire after the man attempted to use his vehicle as a weapon against pursuing agents. The Maine attorney general’s office, which is investigating alongside the FBI, said initial statements indicate the motorist was trying to flee in the direction of the agent.
Immigrant rights groups identified the deceased as a 26-year-old native of Colombia and stated he was authorized to work in the United States with a valid Social Security number. The man lived nearby with his wife and daughter. Witnesses reported seeing the vehicle roll through an intersection after shots were fired, with bullet holes visible in its windshield. Security camera footage from a nearby laundromat captured images of the incident. The investigating agents did not have body-worn cameras, according to Senator Angus King.
The shooting prompted immediate protests in the Biddeford area, with dozens of demonstrators gathering to criticize ICE and the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations. Local officials and advocacy groups expressed concerns about the incident and called for greater accountability. This fatality represents at least the ninth death from an encounter with federal immigration officials since the current administration’s immigration crackdown began, and the second in one week following the death of a Houston resident.
The incident occurred amid an intensified push by the Trump administration to carry out mass deportations. ICE arrested more than 10,000 people during a five-day period at the end of June. In Maine specifically, ICE arrested 546 people between the start of the current administration and March, with approximately 45 percent having criminal backgrounds. The Colombian Embassy stated it was working to formally confirm the individual’s identity and nationality while in contact with U.S. authorities.