Ice Agent Shoots And Kills A Motorist In Biddeford, Maine, Sen. Angus King Says

BIDDEFORD, Maine — A national migration supplier fatally changeable a motorist successful Maine connected Monday, nan 2nd clip successful a week that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers person utilized deadly force.

Sen. Angus King, I-Me., said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him nan supplier opened occurrence successful Biddeford aft nan man tried to usage his conveyance arsenic a limb against agents who were pursuing him for deportation.

“He was successful a conveyance — pulled retired successful nan vehicle, and nan word nan caput utilized was “weaponized” nan conveyance and was changeable by an ICE agent,” King said.

Bystander video taken aft nan shooting showed agents trying to slow a achromatic sedan that was going successful circles successful an intersection successful Biddeford, a coastal metropolis of astir 23,000 group astir 15 miles southwest of Portland. Images from nan segment showed slug holes successful nan vehicle’s windshield.

The agents progressive successful nan shooting didn’t person body-worn cameras, King said, relaying accusation shared by Mullin. The FBI is starring nan investigation, he said.

“The mobility is, what did he do pinch his vehicle,” King told reporters successful Portland earlier boarding a formation to Washington. “Were officers threatened? Were nan threats rising to nan level that justified deadly force?

“That’s what this investigation is each astir and I surely intend to enactment aft it to do everything I tin to beryllium judge nan investigation is arsenic transparent and thorough arsenic possible.”

In a statement, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Me., said nan shooting “requires a afloat and impartial investigation of what happened.”

Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, a Democrat, said successful societal media post: “This greeting a shooting occurred successful Biddeford. A personification was killed. ICE was involved,” Fecteau wrote. “State Police and nan Department of Public Safety are now connected segment to stitchery specifications and would expect nan FBI to analyse arsenic well.”

The man changeable was a 26-year-old from Colombia, advocates say

The man who was changeable was a 26-year-old Colombian man who was authorized to activity successful nan U.S. and had a Social Security number, according to a associated connection from defense groups Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente!

After nan shooting, nan man’s family contacted nan Immigrants’ Rights Coalition done a hotline, according to Mufalo Chitam, nan organization’s executive director.

“It’s a young family and he was leaving to spell to work,” Chitam told The Associated Press.

The family is not fresh to place nan man aliases speak publically astir nan shooting, Chitam added.

“We are grieving, we are furious, and we will not let his decease to beryllium treated arsenic regular aliases inevitable,” Chitam said. “How overmuch much harm must our communities strengthen earlier those pinch nan powerfulness to enactment admit that this has gone excessively far?”

Protesters stitchery adjacent nan scene

ICE and nan Maine Department of Public Safety didn’t instantly respond to requests for comment. Kristen Setera, an FBI spokesperson, said nan FBI “responded to assistance on-scene instantly pursuing this morning’s shooting incident successful Biddeford, Maine,” but she declined to remark further.

Dozens of anti-ICE demonstrators had gathered successful Biddeford by Monday afternoon.

Amy Goodman, who is from adjacent Wells, arrived pinch a motion that said “Stop Killing Us” and directed it toward constabulary moving astatine nan scene.

“Sadly, it’s thing we’re seeing a full batch much often lately, and I’m huffy astir it,” said Goodman, who was wearing a garment that said “ICE is champion erstwhile crushed.”

Project Relief, an migrant authorities group, wrote successful a societal media station that 1 of its organization members was killed “during an brushwood pinch ICE successful Biddeford” and that it was successful interaction pinch nan person’s family. The group described nan personification arsenic “young,” but didn’t supply an property aliases different identifying details.

“This was a young personification whose life was trim short,” nan group said, calling for justness and support for nan family and community.

Biddeford Saco for Racial Justice planned a noon protestation against ICE successful Mechanics Park, which sits on nan Saco River successful downtown Biddeford.

Police blocked entree to nan shooting scene, which is successful a vicinity of mostly multifamily homes, churches and businesses adjacent downtown. Several protesters stood nearby, pinch immoderate holding signs condemning ICE’s beingness successful nan organization and state.

Gov. Janet Mills issued a connection saying she had been briefed connected nan fatal shooting “involving Federal rule enforcement” and that nan State Police are astatine nan segment and moving pinch nan authorities lawyer general’s office, main aesculapian examiner’s agency and national officials to find what happened.

“I cognize that situations for illustration these are alarming and frightening,” said Mills, a Democrat.

A caller uptick successful Trump’s migration crackdown

The fatal shooting successful Maine was astatine slightest nan ninth decease from an brushwood pinch national migration officials since nan commencement of nan Trump administration’s migration crackdown and nan 2nd successful a week, pursuing nan sidesplitting of a Houston man.

The reported shooting comes amid a recently intensified push by nan Trump management to transportation retired its wide deportations agenda. During nan five-day play astatine nan extremity of June, ICE arrested much than 10,000 people. The figures bespeak that while nan management is nary longer cracking down connected individual cities, nan arrests proceed and are surging.

Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree, of Maine, said successful a video posted connected societal media that she was driving to Portland to drawback a formation to Washington erstwhile she learned of nan reported shooting. She said she was seeking answers astir nan circumstances surrounding nan shooting, including whether officers were wearing assemblage cameras, adding, “More than thing else, I want to know, ‘Why are you successful Maine?’”

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat who is moving for Senate, said connected X that she would not estimate astir nan circumstances of nan shooting but called for ICE to beryllium removed from communities, writing, “It’s clip to get ICE disconnected our streets.”

Not Maine’s first brushwood pinch ICE

ICE had a important beingness successful Maine earlier this year, which resulted successful respective ample demonstrations against nan agency.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, named nan cognition “Catch of nan Day,” an evident play connected Maine’s seafood industry, conscionable arsenic it has done for different enforcement surges, for illustration “Patriot” successful Massachusetts, “Metro Surge” successful Minnesota and “Midway Blitz” successful Chicago.

Immigration officials said successful precocious January that they had ceased “enhanced operations” successful Maine aft making hundreds of arrests. A Homeland Security spokesperson said astatine nan clip that immoderate Maine arrests were of group “convicted of horrific crimes including aggravated assault, mendacious imprisonment, and endangering nan use of a child.” But tribunal records painted a somewhat different story: While immoderate had felony convictions, others were detainees pinch unresolved migration proceedings aliases who were arrested but ne'er convicted of a crime.

The Trump administration’s migration crackdowns received wide condemnation past wintertime aft nan killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good successful Minnesota. Last week, an ICE serviceman fatally changeable 52-year-old Salgado Araujo, of Houston, aft he was pursued by national agents driving unmarked vehicles while he was taking his building unit to their latest occupation site.

Whittle and Willingham constitute for nan Associated Press. Willingham reported from Boston. AP newsman Jack Brook contributed to this report.