(The Center Square) — A Colombian man shot by ICE agents Monday in Maine was not the intended target of the immigration enforcement operation, Sen. Angus King said.
On Monday morning, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot and killed the 26-year-old migrant, identified as Joan Sebastian Guerrero, as they were conducting surveillance for immigration enforcement.
The fatal shooting — the second by ICE agents in a week — has prompted federal state law enforcement investigations and renewed criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
King, Maine’s independent senator, said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin initially told him on Monday the man was the target of the investigation and that one of the ICE officers opened fire on him after he tried to use his vehicle as a weapon against ICE agents.
But in an interview with Fox News and other media outlets, King said Mullin called him back later in the day to clarify that the man was not the intended target of the arrest warrant the officers were serving at the time of the shooting.
“When I first talked to him, he said the person was the target of the warrant. He called me back. He initiated a call to me to say he had learned subsequently that he was not the target of the warrant,” King told Fox. “He had given me incorrect information. Once he learned it was incorrect, he let me know, which I respect.”
King said a major concern for him is that the ICE agents were not wearing body cameras which means there is no officer-facing video evidence of the shooting.
In a statement, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said ICE agents were looking for a person at the address with a final deportation removal order. When authorities tried to stop a vehicle driven by someone leaving that address, the driver “attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon, DHS said.
“An illegal alien departed the residence in a vehicle. ICE law enforcement attempted to conduct a vehicle stop,” ICE posted on X. “The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and fearing for public safety an officer discharged his weapon. The driver of the vehicle was struck, and emergency services were immediately contacted. He passed away from his injuries.”
Maine’s Attorney General Aaron Frey is conducting an investigation into the shooting and said the state is cooperating with federal authorities.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said the FBI is investigating and called for “a full and impartial investigation of what happened” in the Biddeford shooting.
On Tuesday, Collins was targeted by anti-ICE demonstrators who gathered outside her Biddeford office, calling on her to step down over support for a $70 billion spending bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol for the next two years. Collins, 73, is seeking a sixth consecutive term in the upcoming midterms.
King said during his conversations Monday, Mullin pledged that the investigation would be “fair and transparent” and said he is taking him on his word.
“I have no reason to think that he’s not telling me the truth,” King told Fox. “But my motto, as with Ronald Reagan, is trust but verify,” King said. “And I intend to stay on this. And to be sure that we can verify what happened and also whether the investigation is proceeding in a full, comprehensive and transparent way.”
