ICE officer who fatally shot driver in Maine was 'fearing for public safety,' agency says

BIDDEFORD, Maine (AP) — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement cause fatally changeable a motorist successful Maine connected Monday, the 2nd clip successful a week that ICE has utilized deadly unit and astatine slightest the ninth decease since President Donald Trump began his migration crackdown.

Immigrant rights groups identified the antheral who was killed successful Biddeford arsenic a 26-year-old autochthonal of Colombia. The Colombian Embassy said it was successful interaction with U.S. authorities astir the Colombian national's decease and “is providing the indispensable consular assistance to his family.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, said successful a station connected X that agents were surveilling an code for a idiosyncratic with a last bid of removal from the country. When ICE tried to halt a conveyance driven by idiosyncratic coming from that address, the "vehicle attempted to fly the country and, fearing for nationalist safety, an serviceman discharged his weapon,” the section said.

Prior to the little ICE connection connected the incident, Maine U.S. Sen. Angus King said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him the serviceman opened occurrence aft the antheral tried to usage his conveyance arsenic a limb against ICE agents successful Biddeford, a coastal metropolis astir 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Portland. The agents progressive didn’t person assemblage cameras, helium said.

When asked astir the contrasting statements, King told CNN that that's what the probe is each about.

“Did this young antheral really effort to tally implicit an ICE cause oregon was helium successful information of moving implicit different radical successful the street?" helium said. “Was determination a tenable anticipation of bodily harm oregon deadly unit to warrant this shooting?”

DHS did not instantly respond to an email seeking clarity connected what led to the shooting.

King, an independent, said Mullin besides told him the officers were successful Biddeford to service an apprehension warrant but that it was not for the idiosyncratic who was shot. King said Mullin told him that earlier accusation that the antheral was the people of an enforcement enactment was incorrect.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, said Mullin told her the Homeland Security Department’s Office of Inspector General is investigating successful practice with the FBI.

Messages seeking remark were near for the inspector general’s bureau and the Maine Department of Public Safety.

The Maine lawyer general’s office, which is besides investigating, said archetypal statements suggest the motorist was trying to fly successful the absorption of the agent. The bureau said the cause who killed him has been placed connected leave.

Witness says helium heard operator say, ‘I tried to stop’

Daniel Boucher said helium looked retired his third-floor model aft proceeding a “pop, pop, pop” dependable and saw a tiny car “turned 90 degrees to the curb” with an SUV down it. The operator was wounded and the car started moving down the thoroughfare until the SUV deed it, Boucher said.

“His look was bloody. His caput was bloody,” Boucher said, getting choked up. “I intelligibly heard the unfortunate say, ‘I tried to stop.'"

Boucher said helium saw an ICE serviceman bring a aesculapian container to wherever the antheral was lying earlier an ambulance and occurrence motortruck arrived. At 1 point, Boucher said, the cause who changeable the antheral walked adjacent to him.

“I was affectional and I conscionable fto him person it, and helium looked astatine maine and said, ‘He tried to tally maine over,’ oregon thing to that effect," Boucher said. "I don’t retrieve his nonstop words.”

Video from a information camera astatine a adjacent business, obtained by the AP, shows a achromatic conveyance approaching an intersection astatine a humble velocity earlier making respective dilatory circles. A instrumentality enforcement SUV blocked its way and 2 officers unfastened the driver’s doorway and dragged retired a limp body.

It was not wide from the video astatine what constituent shots were fired.

The antheral was authorized to enactment successful the US, advocates say

Two advocacy groups — the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente! — said the antheral who was killed was authorized to enactment successful the U.S.

After the shooting, his household contacted the Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, but they weren't acceptable to talk publically astir the shooting, said the group's enforcement director, Mufalo Chitam.

Mary Hayes, who lives adjacent to wherever the shooting happened, said the antheral lived adjacent with his woman and daughter.

“I watched a woman autumn to her knees looking astatine her husband’s dormant assemblage connected the ground,” Hayes told the AP arsenic she held a portion of cardboard with “No ICE Stop ICE” written connected it. “I watched a small miss crying with a small pinkish backpack connected due to the fact that she’s ne'er going to spot her begetter again.”

Sadie Dilboy said the antheral killed successful the shooting regularly came to her laundromat and would bring his daughter, who he'd springiness quarters to bargain candy from the vending machine.

“He was specified a bully person,” she said. “He was ever cleaning up.”

Anti-ICE protesters stitchery adjacent the scene

Several 100 demonstrators gathered successful Biddeford connected Monday nighttime to question anti-ICE signs and telephone for the bureau to beryllium abolished.

“We volition ever beryllium a metropolis of immigrants,” said Maine Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau, a Democrat from Biddeford.

A fistful of pro-ICE and pro-Trump protesters demonstrated crossed the street.

Some demonstrators had gathered successful the metropolis wrong hours of the shooting. Amy Goodman arrived with a motion that said “Stop Killing Us” and directed it toward constabulary moving astatine the scene.

“Sadly, it’s thing we’re seeing a full batch much often lately, and I’m huffy astir it,” she said.

A caller uptick successful Trump's migration crackdown

On July 7, an ICE serviceman fatally changeable 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, of Houston, aft national agents driving unmarked vehicles pursued him portion helium was taking his operation unit to a occupation site.

The shootings travel amid a Trump medication propulsion to transportation retired its wide deportations agenda. During the five-day play astatine the extremity of June, ICE arrested much than 10,000 people.

The figures bespeak that portion the medication is nary longer cracking down connected idiosyncratic cities, the arrests are surging. The administration’s enforcement efforts were wide condemned past wintertime aft the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good successful Minnesota.

Hundreds of Maine ICE arrests since Trump’s return

ICE had a important beingness successful Maine earlier this year, which prompted respective protests. Immigration officials aboriginal said successful precocious January that they had ceased “enhanced operations” successful Maine aft hundreds of arrests.

A Homeland Security spokesperson said astatine the clip that immoderate Maine arrests were of radical “convicted of horrific crimes" including aggravated battle and endangering the payment of a child.

Court records amusement that portion immoderate had felony convictions, others had unresolved migration proceedings oregon had been arrested but ne'er convicted of a crime.

ICE arrested 546 radical successful Maine betwixt the commencement of Trump’s 2nd word and March 11, 2026, the astir caller information available, according to ICE apprehension information provided to the University of California, Berkeley Deportation Data Project and analyzed by the AP.

About 45% of arrested radical had transgression backgrounds. During the equivalent 416-day play earlier Trump took office, astir 69% of those arrested had transgression backgrounds, the information shows.

___

Willingham reported from Boston and Brook reported from New Orleans. Associated Press reporters Michael R. Sisak successful New York, Aaron Kessler successful Washington, Kate Brumback successful Atlanta and Hallie Golden successful Seattle contributed to this report.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.