Joan Sebastian Guerrero, 26, a Colombian national with legal US work authorization and a valid Social Security number, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Biddeford, Maine on Monday morning, July 13. Guerrero was heading to work when agents attempted to stop his vehicle near Pool Street. He wasn't the subject of any warrant — ICE was surveilling a nearby address for a different person with a deportation order, and Guerrero had no connection to that investigation. The agents involved wore no body cameras. DHS said the officer fired "fearing for public safety" after the vehicle tried to flee; Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Sen. Angus King separately that the officer fired after Guerrero allegedly used the car as a weapon. The FBI and DHS Office of Inspector General are jointly investigating. It was the ninth fatal ICE enforcement incident since Trump began his second term.

1. The Shoot Was Justified (DHS, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin)

DHS says the officer fired in self-defense — the driver aimed the car at the agent, and the agent followed policy.

The agent fired in self-defense, DHS says. Mullin told King the officer opened fire only after Guerrero allegedly aimed his car at agents. The formal DHS statement said the vehicle "attempted to flee the scene" and the officer discharged his weapon "fearing for public safety." The agent is on administrative leave and the OIG and FBI are jointly investigating — which DHS frames as the appropriate process.

At the scale Trump's deportation push demands, agents encounter resistance. ICE arrested more than 10,000 people in a single five-day period at the end of June. DHS has defended every officer who used force in an enforcement operation. The administration declared all 16 DHS enforcement shootings through January 2026 justified. Officials say the officers followed policy.

2. But the Facts Don't Hold Up (Sen. Angus King, Sen. Susan Collins, Gov. Janet Mills)

Maine's entire congressional delegation — across party lines — says the investigation can't stay inside the agencies that did the shooting.

Guerrero wasn't on any warrant, and that's confirmed. Mullin himself acknowledged it to King. Guerrero had no warrant, no legal exposure, and no reason to expect a vehicle stop. The Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition confirmed he had a valid Social Security number, US work authorization, was the father of a 3-year-old daughter, and was driving to his food delivery job.

Congress gave DHS $20 million for body cameras. Fewer than one in four ICE agents have them. Congress approved that funding in April 2026. Former DHS Sec. Kristi Noem had promised to "rapidly acquire and deploy" cameras after ICE agents shot two American citizens in Minneapolis. DHS still hadn't deployed them by the time agents shot Guerrero in Maine. Sen. King, Sen. Susan Collins, Gov. Janet Mills, and Rep. Chellie Pingree all called for a full investigation that includes state and local authorities, not just the federal agencies under review.

3. And This Is Now a Pattern (Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition, Congressional Hispanic Caucus)

Advocates say nine deaths in enforcement operations, all declared justified before investigations closed, is a policy — not a rounding error.

ICE shot a legal worker on his way to work. The Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition confirmed Guerrero was a legal US worker, authorized to be here, with a Social Security number and a 3-year-old daughter. Immigration agencies say they don't target legal residents. Guerrero was one.

The administration pre-clears shootings before probes conclude. Trump aides publicly declared all 16 prior DHS enforcement shootings justified before formal investigations finished, the Washington Post reported. Human Rights Watch counted 52 deaths in ICE custody during Trump's second term — nearly four times the rate under Biden. At least 39 shooting incidents by immigration agents have occurred since January 20, 2025. Maine labor groups are calling for ICE to "stand down," and hundreds rallied in Biddeford and Portland on Monday and Tuesday.

Where This Lands

DHS says the officer acted lawfully under threat, and a joint OIG-FBI investigation is underway. Maine's entire congressional delegation — including Republicans — says the investigation needs to be independent, not federal-agency-run, because victims' accounts and DHS's accounts keep diverging. Immigrant rights groups say the real question isn't this shooting alone. It's why the administration keeps declaring shootings clean before investigations close — and why most agents still have no cameras despite the funding to buy them. Colombia's embassy formally requested information from DHS and is monitoring the case.

Sources