This morning in Biddeford, an ICE officer shot and killed a 26-year-old Colombian man who had work authorization and was not even the person they were looking for. DHS Secretary Mullin himself called Senator King hours later to confirm that the wrong man was killed. This happened here, in our state, in our community. A family is grieving someone who had every legal right to be here and was going about his life.
Maine people expect that when law enforcement comes to our towns, they know who they're arresting and they answer for their mistakes. Right now there is no requirement that ICE officers operating in Maine wear body cameras, no state-level use-of-force standards they have to follow, and no mandatory reporting to our legislature when something like this happens on our soil. That is not accountability — that is a blank check to do whatever they want with zero transparency to the people of Maine.
I'm asking you to introduce or co-sponsor legislation this session that requires body cameras and state use-of-force standards for any immigration enforcement operation conducted in Maine, and mandatory reporting to the legislature when those operations result in injury or death. Mainers deserve to know what is happening in our communities, and families — including families with every legal right to be here — deserve to know their lives are not disposable.
Please stand up for accountability and introduce state legislation requiring body cameras, use-of-force standards, and legislative reporting for immigration enforcement operations in Maine.
