Family mourns Colombian father killed in Maine immigration traffic stop

Johan Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian father, was killed during an immigration traffic stop in Biddeford, Maine, leaving behind a 3-year-old daughter and a family now clinging to photos and a shared blanket. Karolina Rojas Alvarez, his partner, said Thursday that Guerrero was a tireless worker and a devoted father who would do anything for their child.

Rojas Alvarez said their daughter asks for her father and that she feels unprotected after his death. "All I have left are the photos and a blanket with the three of us on it..." He has also been identified as Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero or Joan Sebastian Guerrero.

Family lawyer Ben Gideon said Guerrero had not been accused of a crime and had been following a lawful process to remain in the United States, including receiving a work permit issued under the Trump administration. The shooting is under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General, the FBI and the Maine Attorney General’s Office. The Department of Homeland Security said Guerrero was not the intended target of the operation and alleged that he tried to flee in his car.

The killing prompted hundreds of people to protest in Maine, with vigils held in Biddeford and Portland as immigrant-rights groups called for accountability. A fundraiser for Guerrero’s family has collected more than $385,000, and local businesses, artists and organizers have scheduled more benefits, including a concert at Sacred Profane Brewery on July 30.

The Trump administration ordered ICE to halt most vehicle stops the next day, and the Biddeford shooting came less than a week after another fatal ICE shooting involving a vehicle in Houston.