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A 26-year-old Colombian man was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Biddeford on July 13 during a pursuit linked to an immigration enforcement action, Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau announced in a social media post that afternoon. Fecteau, a Democrat whose district includes the coastal city of roughly 23,000 people, stated that state police and the FBI had responded to the scene near Pool and Hill streets, where the man reportedly attempted to use his vehicle against officers. Maine Public reported that the shooting marked the second time in a week that ICE agents used deadly force, following an incident in Texas where officials later acknowledged the man shot was not the intended target.
Advocates from the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition identified the deceased as a Colombian national who held authorization to work in the United States, according to a statement the group released hours after the shooting. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin informed independent Sen. Angus King that the man was not the subject of the arrest warrant agents were serving, a King spokesman told NBC News. Reuters reported that federal officials have offered few additional details, while local police described the matter as an active investigation with a press conference planned.
The encounter comes amid heightened scrutiny of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and has been led by Mullin since March after the dismissal of his predecessor, Kristi Noem, according to multiple congressional statements. Noem’s departure followed the deaths of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good during immigration enforcement surges in Minnesota earlier this year, incidents that prompted lawsuits from civil rights organizations alleging aggressive tactics. Minnesota prosecutors announced the same day as the Maine shooting that federal agencies had finally turned over long-withheld evidence, including hard drives and Good’s vehicle, in those cases, the Hennepin County attorney said in a video statement.
Federal officials launched a similar initiative in Maine in January known as Operation Catch of the Day, part of broader Trump administration efforts that included surges in other states, a pattern documented in congressional briefings and civil rights filings. The Maine operation drew a lawsuit from multiple civil rights groups over alleged aggressive enforcement, according to court records referenced in reporting by the Maine Morning Star. Sen. King, who received a briefing from Mullin, described the latest incident as part of that ongoing federal push, his office noted in statements to Reuters and AP.
Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree said she was aware that someone was fatally shot that morning with possible ICE involvement, adding in a post on X that her team was seeking more information. Gov. Janet Mills, who confirmed she had been briefed, stated that situations like these are frightening and alarming, according to her office’s remarks carried by local outlets. Protesters critical of ICE and the administration’s immigration policies gathered near the scene within hours, Reuters photographs and reporting showed, as authorities towed vehicles from the area.
The state’s top law enforcement agencies continued to gather evidence Monday afternoon while the FBI prepared to lead the federal probe, Fecteau’s update indicated. Immigrant rights groups expressed outrage over the death, describing it as part of a pattern that has alarmed communities across New England, the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition said in its release. No independent autopsy details or full officer statements had been made public as of Monday evening.
