ICE Agent Shoots Dead Colombian Man in Biddeford, Maine

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot a Colombian national during an immigration enforcement operation in Biddeford, Maine, after a vehicle attempted to flee, the agency said.

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The incident comes about a week after ICE used deadly force in a separate case involving another migrant in a traffic stop in Texas.

Operation linked to final removal order

ICE said agents were surveilling an address in Biddeford for a person with a final order of removal at around 07:00 EDT (11:00 GMT) on Monday.

Agents attempted to stop a driver who was leaving the address. ICE said the vehicle tried to flee the scene, and that “fearing for public safety”, an officer discharged a weapon. ICE added that the driver was struck.

After the shooting, dozens of demonstrators gathered in Biddeford.

Prosecutor, lawmakers order investigation as officer placed on leave

Maine’s top prosecutor said the officer worked for ICE’s Enforcement Removal Operations and has been placed on leave while an investigation is carried out.

The state’s Attorney General, Aaron Frey, said initial information indicates the individual “attempted to flee in a vehicle in the direction of the officer and was fatally shot”.

Frey said the man’s name would not be released until he is formally identified and his family is notified.

The Department of Homeland Security inspector general office is taking over the investigation, Senator Susan Collins said, citing the agency overseeing ICE.

Collins and other Maine officials faced questions after reports that the circumstances of the operation changed. Fellow senator Angus King said he was first told by DHS chief Markwayne Mullin that the person shot was a target of an arrest warrant in an immigration operation. Hours later, King said Mullin told him the man was not the target of a warrant.

Governor Janet Mills said the death of someone the government was not seeking “makes this tragedy even more disturbing and infuriating”. She said it showed what she called the “reckless and haphazard manner” in which immigration enforcement operations are being conducted in Maine and across the country.

Embassy, rights groups confirm victim’s nationality; witnesses describe gunfire

Colombia’s embassy confirmed the deceased man was Colombian. The embassy said it has requested information and clarification from DHS about the circumstances and will follow the case as the investigation continues.

The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition said the man was a 26-year-old Colombian authorised to work in the United States, and said he was part of its community. The organisation did not identify him.

Protests also took place outside the office of Collins after she voted to fund ICE, with demonstrators calling for what King described as a “full and impartial investigation”.

Witness accounts to local and national media described the shooting and the response by federal agents. The Biddeford Gazette reported that around 07:20 local time, a resident saw flashing lights from an unmarked white SUV and at least two officers wearing green ICE vests. The witness said agents surrounded a white sedan and that at least four gunshots were heard.

Another witness speaking to the Associated Press said the victim lived nearby with his wife and daughter and described seeing his spouse fall to her knees and a child crying with a pink backpack.

King said Mullin told him the man was shot after attempting to drive his car at officers. King said that involved “weaponised” use of the vehicle, and that an ICE agent fired.

King also said officers did not wear body cameras and that officials would investigate whether deadly force was necessary.

The case has renewed attention on DHS and ICE operations. On 7 July, ICE officer Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old builder, was shot and killed in Houston while driving to a construction site. Federal officials later said he was not the intended target but that he tried to run over an ICE agent.

Mullin took over leadership of DHS in March, replacing Kristi Noem after she was fired by US President Donald Trump. Noem’s tenure followed fatal shootings by immigration officers of two protesters, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, both American citizens, after immigration enforcement surges were announced in Minnesota and other states.

A similar operation in Maine, launched in January and dubbed Operation Catch of the Day, has also drawn legal challenges. Civil rights organisations filed a lawsuit alleging aggressive tactics by federal agents during enforcement surges.

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14 July 2026