BIDDEFORD, Maine – A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a suspect Monday morning after the man allegedly "weaponized" his vehicle and tried to run over federal officers during an operation to enforce a deportation order, officials said.
The incident unfolded around 7:30 a.m. at the intersection of Pool and Hill streets in Biddeford, a coastal city of roughly 23,000 residents about 15 miles southwest of Portland.
Bystander video captured the chaotic scene, showing a white Kia sedan slowly circling the intersection as law enforcement pursued it. Moments later, agents approached the stopped vehicle, where the suspect was pulled from the driver's seat and first aid was administered on the ground.
Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau confirmed one person was killed in the ICE-involved shooting. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin briefed him that the agent opened fire in self-defense after the suspect, identified as a 26-year-old Colombian national with a final deportation order, used his car as a deadly weapon against pursuing officers.
"He was in a vehicle, pulled out in the vehicle, and the term the secretary used was ‘weaponized’ the vehicle and was shot by an ICE agent," King told reporters.
The Kia was left with multiple bullet holes in the windshield, according to local reports. Witnesses described hearing four gunshots after agents surrounded the sedan. No body-worn cameras were on the agents involved, officials noted.
This marks the second fatal shooting involving ICE agents in recent days, coming just after an incident in Houston where a Mexican national was killed during a traffic stop. The developments have reignited debates over immigration enforcement as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to remove illegal immigrants and criminal aliens from American communities.
Immigrant rights groups quickly condemned the shooting and called for an investigation, while supporters of stricter border policies pointed to the suspect's alleged attempt to assault officers as justification for the agent's actions.
The FBI is leading the investigation, which remains ongoing. Maine Gov. Janet Mills called the event "alarming" but stopped short of criticizing ICE directly.
ICE has not yet released an official statement, but sources familiar with the operation stressed that agents were carrying out a lawful deportation order when the suspect escalated the situation.
As illegal immigration and deportation battles continue to dominate headlines, cases like this underscore the dangers federal officers face daily in enforcing laws passed by Congress and upheld by the courts.
