I watched a wife fall to her knees looking at her husband's dead body
On a Monday morning in Biddeford, Maine, a 26-year-old Colombian man authorized to work in the United States was shot and killed by an ICE agent during a vehicle stop — the second such fatal encounter in a single week. He was not the intended target of the operation, and no body camera footage exists to clarify the contested moments before the shooting. His wife and young daughter witnessed his death, and the questions left behind — about force, accountability, and the human cost of enforcement — now fall to investigators and a watching public.
- A young father authorized to live and work in the US was killed by federal immigration agents who were not even looking for him, exposing the lethal margin for error in aggressive enforcement operations.
- Conflicting official accounts — a cabinet secretary who had to call back to correct his own story — and the absence of body cameras have left a factual void that witnesses, advocates, and foreign diplomats are now rushing to fill.
- Within hours, demonstrators gathered in Biddeford and outside a senator's office, channeling grief and anger into political pressure as the Colombian Embassy formally demanded answers from Washington.
- The DHS inspector general has taken over the investigation, but the case lands inside a documented pattern: two fatal ICE shootings in one week, and two American citizens killed during immigration operations under the prior Trump term.
- The central question now driving scrutiny is not just what happened in those seconds beside a white sedan, but whether the agency's use-of-force protocols are structurally capable of preventing it from happening again.
A 26-year-old Colombian man authorized to work in the United States was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday morning — the second fatal shooting by immigration officers in seven days. Agents had been watching an address for someone with a final removal order when they attempted to stop a vehicle leaving the scene. The man inside was not their target.
What followed has been disputed from the start. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin initially told Senator Angus King that the victim was the subject of an arrest warrant, then called back hours later to correct himself. Mullin described the man as having "weaponised" his vehicle by driving toward officers; ICE's own statement said only that the agent feared for public safety. No body cameras were worn, leaving no footage of the encounter. Witnesses described hearing at least four shots and watching the man's wife collapse at the sight of his body, their young daughter — pink backpack, inconsolable — beside her.
Dozens gathered in Biddeford to protest, some outside Senator Susan Collins's office in objection to her vote funding ICE. Collins called for a full investigation. Maine's Attorney General and the DHS inspector general's office are now overseeing the case, and the Colombian Embassy has formally requested information from Washington.
The shooting arrives inside a widening pattern. A week earlier, ICE agents in Houston fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican construction worker who was also not the intended target. Under the Trump administration's prior term, two American citizens described as protesters were killed during immigration enforcement surges. Civil rights organizations have filed lawsuits alleging aggressive tactics across these campaigns, including Operation Catch of the Day, launched in Maine in January.
The investigation will center on whether deadly force was necessary and whether protocols were followed — questions that, for one family in Biddeford, arrived too late.
A Colombian man authorized to work in the United States was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Biddeford, Maine on Monday morning, the second fatal shooting by immigration officers in seven days and the latest incident to draw scrutiny on the agency's use of deadly force.
ICE agents were conducting an enforcement operation around 7 a.m. EDT, watching an address for someone with a final removal order. When they attempted to stop a vehicle leaving that location, the agency said the driver tried to flee and an officer fired his weapon out of concern for public safety. The man struck by gunfire was a 26-year-old Colombian national, according to the Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition, which identified him as someone authorized to work in the country and a member of the local community. His name has not been released pending formal identification and family notification.
What happened in those moments remains contested. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin initially told Maine Senator Angus King that the man was the target of an arrest warrant, then called back hours later to correct that account—the victim was not the intended target. Mullin described the man as having "weaponised" his vehicle by driving it toward police. But ICE's own statement offered less detail, saying only that the officer feared for public safety. Critically, the agents involved were not wearing body cameras, leaving no video record of the encounter. A witness named Lucas Scott told reporters he saw at least two officers in ICE vests surrounding a white sedan and heard at least four gunshots. Another witness, Mary Hayes, described watching the man's wife collapse at the sight of her husband's body and their young daughter, in a pink backpack, crying because she would never see her father again.
The shooting prompted dozens of demonstrators to gather in Biddeford, 18 miles south of Portland. Some protested outside the office of Senator Susan Collins, objecting to her vote to fund ICE. Collins called for a full and impartial investigation. The DHS inspector general's office has taken over the case. Maine's Attorney General Aaron Frey, a Democrat, said initial statements indicate the man attempted to drive toward the officer before being fatally shot. The Colombian Embassy requested information and clarification from DHS and said it would monitor the investigation closely.
The incident arrives amid a pattern of escalating force. Just a week earlier, on July 7, an ICE agent shot and killed 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican construction worker, during a traffic stop in Houston. Federal officials later acknowledged he was not the intended target but said he had tried to run over an agent. Under the Trump administration's previous tenure, immigration officers fatally shot two American citizens—Alex Pretti and Renee Good—both described as protesters. Those deaths followed announced immigration enforcement surges in Minnesota and other states. A similar operation, called Operation Catch of the Day, launched in Maine in January. Civil rights organizations have filed lawsuits alleging aggressive tactics by federal agents during these enforcement campaigns.
Markwayne Mullin took over leadership of DHS in March, replacing Kristi Noem after President Donald Trump fired her. The investigation into Monday's shooting will focus on whether deadly force was necessary and whether protocols were followed. Senator King said he intends to press for transparency and thoroughness as the case proceeds.
Notable Quotes
I watched a wife fall to her knees looking at her husband's dead body on the ground. I watched a little girl crying with a little pink backpack on because she's never going to see her father again.— Mary Hayes, witness
He was a member of our community, a neighbor, and a human being whose life was cut tragically short.— Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it matter that he was authorized to work in the US?
Because it complicates the narrative that he was a threat. He had legal status. He was embedded in the community—he had a wife, a daughter, a job. He wasn't hiding.
The DHS secretary changed his story. What does that suggest?
Either the initial account was wrong, or someone was trying to shape how the shooting looked. Either way, it raises questions about whether the facts were clear to the officers in the moment, or whether they're being constructed afterward.
No body cameras. Is that standard?
It shouldn't be. Not for armed enforcement operations. Without video, we're left with competing narratives and witness accounts. One person heard gunshots; another watched a family fall apart. Both are true, but neither tells us what the officer saw.
What's the pattern here?
In a week, two people shot by ICE. One wasn't the target. One may not have been either. And both times, the justification hinges on the vehicle—that it was driven at officers. But we can't verify that because there's no recording.
What happens next?
An investigation. But the real question is whether anything changes. This is the third or fourth fatal shooting in this cycle. At some point, pattern becomes policy.