A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer recently killed a man in a traffic stop in Maine, prompting authorities to largely suspend vehicle stops for now.
The incident occurred on Monday, July 14, as federal agents were tracking the last known address of another man with a final deportation order.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), officers attempted to stop the now-dead man’s car, but he attempted to drive away, prompting an officer to open fire out of fear for public safety. The man, identified as 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero of Colombia, died from his injuries; However, it was later revealed that he was not the one ICE was looking for.
According to neighbors, the victim was married and had a daughter of two or three years old.
Maine Sen. Angus King said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin was the first to tell him that Guerrero was the man agents were looking for. About three hours later, King said Mullin called again and admitted that wasn’t true. After all, Guerrero was not the intended target.
King is now pushing for a full and transparent investigation. He also said body cameras have not yet reached all ICE units, including Biddeford. They told him cameras would be coming, but possibly not for 45 days.
This is the second fatal ICE shooting in less than two weeks. Just days earlier, ICE agents shot and killed a Mexican man, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, during a similar vehicle stop in Houston. His brother, who was in the vehicle with him, said someone simply said “stop” and immediately fired shots.
Both shootings involved traffic stops, a tactic ICE has relied heavily on to make immigrant arrests. Following the backlash, ICE reportedly told agents to largely suspend vehicle stops for now.
