ICE Agents Shoot and Kill Colombian Father in Maine, Sparking Protests

ICE agents have shot and killed Joan Sebastian Guerrero, a 26-year-old father from Colombia, in Biddeford, Maine. The incident occurred when Guerrero was driving slowly through the town on July 13, 2026. This shooting marks the second fatal encounter involving ICE agents within a week.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin initially claimed that Guerrero had attempted to use his vehicle as a weapon against law enforcement, echoing similar statements made following the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston just one week prior. However, eyewitness accounts contradict this narrative, with reports indicating that Guerrero was not attempting to flee or pose an immediate threat.

An eyewitness described hearing Guerrero say, "I tried to stop," moments before he succumbed to his injuries. This statement casts further doubt on the official explanation provided by ICE and raises serious questions about the agency's use of lethal force in routine encounters.

Both shootings underscore a troubling pattern of violent racial profiling and reckless disregard for human life within the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) organization. Neither Guerrero nor Araujo were targeted for arrest at the time of their deaths, yet both incidents ended in fatal confrontations that have sparked outrage across the country.

In response to these recent killings, protesters gathered outside Republican Senator Susan Collins' office in Biddeford following news of Guerrero's death. Collins had voted to allocate $70 billion over three years to ICE and Border Patrol just a month earlier. Demonstrators chanted "Vote her out," demanding accountability from elected officials complicit in the agency’s practices.

The repeated use of lethal force by ICE agents has galvanized communities nationwide, leading to widespread protests and calls for reform or abolition of the agency. Following the January killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, Minneapolis residents organized work stoppages, blockades, and community resistance efforts to combat ICE operations.

Activists are now pressing elected officials to take concrete steps towards dismantling ICE's authority to conduct such violent operations. Democrats running for Congress face increasing pressure to commit to abolishing the agency altogether, while local leaders are being urged to enact policies that counteract ICE activities within their jurisdictions.

These incidents highlight the urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform and accountability measures to prevent further loss of life at the hands of federal agents operating under the auspices of ICE.