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A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a 26-year-old Colombian man in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday during an attempted arrest, the latest in a series of fatal shootings linked to the Trump administration's immigration enforcement campaign.
Maine's attorney general's office said the officer was conducting an enforcement operation tied to a final removal order when the subject attempted to flee in a vehicle toward the agent. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not immediately comment.
The FBI said it was investigating alongside state authorities. The agent involved was placed on administrative leave, standard protocol following police-involved shootings.
The Biddeford incident follows the killing of a Mexican man by an ICE agent in Texas last week, intensifying scrutiny of the administration's deportation drive. Earlier this year, ICE agents also shot dead two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, drawing nationwide condemnation.
One witness, Lucas Scott, told local media he heard at least four gunshots after seeing several ICE agents surround a white sedan Monday morning. Images from the scene showed a police cordon on a residential street, with a forensics unit stationed beside a red tent.
Victim was authorized to work in the US, advocates say
The Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition and Presente Maine jointly identified the victim as a 26-year-old Colombian national but did not name him. The groups said he held valid U.S. work authorization.
"We will not let this death be reduced to a footnote in this administration's enforcement statistics," said Crystal Cron, executive director of Presente Maine.
Senator Angus King said he had spoken with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and understood the victim had been the subject of an ICE arrest warrant related to his immigration status. King called for a "full, transparent and open investigation," but noted the agents involved were apparently not wearing body cameras, raising further questions about accountability.
Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain said in a statement that the victim's family and the broader community deserved clear answers about what happened, acknowledging "the fear and uncertainty that an incident of this magnitude has brought upon our city."
Protesters gathered near the scene carrying signs reading "ICE Out!" and also assembled outside the office of Maine Senator Susan Collins, a Republican ally of President Trump.
ICE, which was significantly empowered under Trump's second-term immigration agenda, has faced growing backlash over what critics describe as aggressive enforcement tactics since the administration launched its sweeping deportation campaign earlier this year.
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