ICE agents shoot man in Maine; second death in six days

Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) fatally shot a man in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday, marking the second such fatality involving ICE agents in under a week. The incident occurred as agents were conducting what the Department of Homeland Security described as 'targeted surveillance' on an individual with a final deportation order.

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The ICE agent opened fire out of concern for public safety.

According to the department, the man fled his residence in a vehicle as agents attempted to stop him. An ICE agent reportedly opened fire out of 'concern for public safety,' though the department did not specify how the driver posed a threat. The shooting took place around 7 a.m. local time in Biddeford, approximately 15 miles south of Portland.

Immigration advocacy groups have condemned the shooting. The Immigrant Rights Coalition and Presente! Maine identified the deceased as a 26-year-old Colombian national who possessed a work permit and a Social Security number. They described the incident as 'devastating, disturbing, and unacceptable.' This death brings the total number of individuals killed during immigration enforcement efforts since January 2025 to at least seven.

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This is devastating, disturbing, and unacceptable.

The Maine incident follows a shooting in Houston, Texas, just six days prior, where an ICE agent killed 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a targeted operation. ICE stated that Salgado, a Mexican citizen living in the U.S. unlawfully for over three decades, first rammed an agent's vehicle and then attempted to hit an agent with his car, prompting the agent to fire in self-defense. Reuters noted that ICE's initial accounts in similar past events have sometimes been contradicted by later evidence, such as video footage.

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Salgado first rammed agents' vehicle, then attempted to hit one of them with his car, who opened fire in self-defense.