U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot and killed a person during an immigration operation in Maine. The incident occurred on the morning of July 13, 2026, in Biddeford, where agents tried to stop a vehicle and one agent opened fire after the driver attempted to flee.
An ICE spokesperson said in a statement that agents were conducting surveillance at the known address of a person subject to deportation and attempted to stop a vehicle leaving that residence. The spokesperson stated that an agent, concerned for the safety of bystanders, opened fire after the driver tried to flee. The statement did not provide information on whether the deceased was the person under surveillance.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Marquane Mallin informed Senator Angus King that the person shot was not the target of the operation. This incident marks the ninth person killed during ICE operations in former President Donald Trump's second term.
Identity not officially confirmed
The civil society groups Presente! and the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition announced that the deceased was a 26-year-old Colombian citizen who had a work permit and Social Security number in the U.S. Official authorities have not yet confirmed the identity. The Colombian Embassy in Washington said it has begun efforts to identify and verify the citizenship.
Witnesses horrified
Daniel Boucher, 71, who lives near the scene, said he heard gunshots and saw a large white vehicle crash into a smaller car. Boucher said an agent opened the car door and pulled out a man bleeding heavily from the head, adding, "No one should see what I saw." Boucher also reported hearing the shot man say, "I tried to stop."
Another neighbor, Nelson Elias, said he knew the deceased as someone who delivered DoorDash orders and picked up orders from the restaurant where he worked. Elias recounted hearing six gunshots and seeing the man's wife and daughter crying in the street. Cecilia Humiston, who said the incident happened right in front of her house, stated that she noticed police vehicles when she woke up.
