ICE Shooting Victim in Maine Not Target of Warrant, Senator Says

An undocumented migrant fatally shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Maine was not the intended subject of the warrant, Senator Angus King revealed after speaking with the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin.

This incident marks the second time in a week that ICE agents have used lethal force and at least the ninth such death since President Donald Trump initiated crackdowns on immigrants. Immigrant rights groups identified the deceased as a 26-year-old Colombian national.

Senator King stated that Mullin informed him the agent opened fire after the man attempted to use his vehicle as a weapon. "He was in a vehicle... he advanced in it, and the term the secretary used was that 'he used the vehicle as a weapon,' and an ICE agent shot him," King recounted.

Initially, King had been told the man was the target of a deportation initiative. However, Mullin later contacted King with updated information. The DHS issued a statement detailing the operation but did not accuse the migrant of attempting to ram the vehicle. According to the DHS, ICE was conducting surveillance on an undocumented immigrant with a final deportation order when the individual exited a residence in a vehicle. Agents attempted to stop the vehicle, which then tried to flee. Fearing for public safety, an agent discharged their weapon. The driver was injured and died from his wounds.

The Maine Attorney General's office, along with the FBI and other agencies, is investigating the shooting. The agent who fired the shot has been placed on leave. Two activist groups, the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente!, stated the deceased man had authorization to work in the United States. His family has contacted the Immigrants’ Rights Coalition but is not yet ready to speak publicly.

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He was in a vehicle... he advanced in it, and the term the secretary used was that ‘used the vehicle as a weapon,’ and an ICE agent shot him.