ICE Killed a Work-Authorized Colombian Man Who Was Not the Target
An ICE Enforcement Removal Operations officer fatally shot a 26-year-old Colombian man in Biddeford, Maine on the morning of July 13, 2026. The Maine Attorney General confirmed the shooting in a statement. Hours after the incident, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin called Senator Angus King to say the man killed was not the target of the arrest warrant.
The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition identified the victim as a 26-year-old Colombian national who was authorized to work in the United States.
“He was a member of our community, a neighbor, and a human being whose life was cut tragically short.”
Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, statement, July 13, 2026
The ICE officer initially stated the man “attempted to flee in a vehicle in the direction of the officer and was fatally shot,” according to the Maine AG’s statement. Witness Lucas Scott told the Biddeford Gazette he saw agents in green ICE vests surrounding a white sedan at approximately 7:20 a.m., then heard at least four gunshots. A separate witness described the man as being shot in the head.
ICE Agents Wore No Body Cameras. This Is the Second Killing in a Week.
Senator King raised a direct concern about the absence of body cameras on the agents involved. No footage of the incident has been made available. The lack of cameras means the only available account of what happened comes from the same agency being investigated.
This is the second time in a week that ICE used lethal force during an enforcement operation. Last week, agents shot a man in Texas during a vehicle stop. Officials later confirmed he was not the intended target either.
The DHS Inspector General’s office has taken over the investigation, according to Senator Susan Collins, who called for a “full and impartial investigation.” The shooting officer has been placed on administrative leave. Protests broke out in Biddeford on July 13, including outside Collins’ office, where demonstrators cited her vote to fund ICE.
The pattern is documented, not alleged. Two shootings. Two wrong targets. No body cameras in either case.
What You Can Do Now
-
Call Senator Susan Collins at (202) 224-2523 and demand she use her oversight role on the Senate Appropriations Committee to condition ICE funding on mandatory body camera use for all enforcement operations. Cite the July 13 Biddeford shooting and the Texas incident from the prior week.
-
Call Senator Angus King at (202) 224-5344 and ask him to push for public release of the DHS Inspector General’s investigative timeline and interim findings. King has already called for an investigation; constituent pressure can move that from a press statement to a formal hearing.
-
Contact the DHS Office of Inspector General directly at (800) 323-8603 to register a complaint about the absence of body cameras in this incident and request public reporting on use-of-force data for ICE Enforcement Removal Operations nationwide.
-
Find and support the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition at maineimmigrantsrights.org, which is providing direct support to the victim’s family and coordinating legal observer work during ongoing ICE operations in the state.
Update, July 16, 2026: Four ICE officials told The Intercept that officers at the Biddeford scene were wearing Motorola SVX Video Remote Speaker Microphones, which include a built-in camera. The devices were not recording; ICE uses them only as radio microphones under an existing arrangement with Axon, and the SVX’s video function requires a separate subscription ICE does not hold.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had told Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, that no officers at the scene were wearing body cameras. The Motorola SVX can store over 100 hours of standard-definition video onboard, according to Motorola promotional materials, but ICE officials said lens covers remain attached because the recording function is inactive.
DHS told NPR that half of ICE field offices currently have body cameras and the remaining offices will receive them within 60 days. Border czar Tom Homan said a “deployment schedule on the books” governs the rollout but offered no firm completion date. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, called the Maine shooting grounds for a statutory body-camera mandate.
Update, July 20, 2026: A second fatal ICE shooting occurred this month in Houston, Texas, where 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed during a traffic stop. As in the Maine case, the officer was not wearing a body camera and Salgado Araujo was not the intended target of the operation.
John Sandweg, who served as acting ICE director under President Obama from 2013 to 2014, told PBS NewsHour on July 20 that the agency’s expanded use of vehicular stops is outpacing its training for that tactic. The DHS secretary recommended a temporary pause on vehicular stop operations, but President Trump overruled that recommendation. Congress allocated $20 million specifically for ICE body cameras, yet neither shooting involved an officer who wore one.
David Brouillette, the ICE officer named in connection with the Maine shooting, has a reported history of domestic violence, according to family members who spoke to the Associated Press. His ex-wife, Ashley Brouillette, told the AP that he called her after the shooting, acknowledged killing Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero, and said she believes a PTSD episode drove his actions.
Sources
BBC News: Man Killed by ICE Agent During Maine Immigration Operation The Guardian: ICE Fatally Shoots 26-Year-Old Colombian Man in Maine Maine Attorney General: Statement on Biddeford ICE Shooting