Protests erupt in Maine after ICE agent fatally shoots Colombian man

Hundreds of people gathered in Biddeford Monday night for a vigil after federal immigration agents fatally shot Joan Sebastian Guerrero, and another rally formed in Portland as anger spread across Maine. Police moved quickly to break up a scuffle between MAGA supporters and anti-ICE demonstrators in Biddeford, where mourners called for calm, accountability and clearer rules for federal agents.

The Office of the Maine Attorney General is investigating a fatal use of deadly force in Biddeford on July 13, 2026. Its initial account says an Enforcement Removal Operations officer was carrying out an enforcement operation tied to a final order of removal when the subject tried to flee in a vehicle in the direction of the officer and was shot. The office would not name the male subject until positive identification and family notification, and the ICE officer was placed on leave as standard protocol. Biddeford Police, Saco Police, Maine State Police and federal authorities were all assisting.

Guerrero was later identified by Sen. Angus King’s office as a 26-year-old Colombian man who lived and worked in Maine and was authorized to work in the United States. He had a wife and young daughter, and family members and supporters were asking anyone with video of the shooting to come forward. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told King’s office that Guerrero was not the intended target of the operation.

Days earlier, ICE fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Texas. Officials said he was not the intended target. In Houston, the absence of body-worn cameras on the officers involved became part of the backlash. In Maine, protesters demanded cameras, transparency and tighter oversight of ICE operations. Some demonstrators went further, calling for the agency to be abolished.