Shooting in Biddeford Involving ICE Agents
A person was killed on Monday in a shooting involving US immigration agents in Biddeford, Maine, according to a statement from Maine state house speaker Ryan Fecteau. The incident occurred at approximately 7:20 am, days after a man was fatally shot by an immigration agent during a traffic stop in Houston, Texas.
Eyewitness Account and Scene
Lucas Scott, an eyewitness, told the Biddeford Gazette that he saw at least two officers in green ICE vests gathered around a white sedan stopped at an intersection. The agents were yelling very loudly, and he heard at least four gunshots. Local media reported that authorities closed a road and FBI officials joined local law enforcement at the crime scene in Biddeford, a city of more than 21,000 people located about 15 miles south of Portland and 90 miles north of Boston.
Crowds were seen gathering in protest shortly after the shooting, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Official Responses and Lack of Comment
Fecteau's Facebook post stated: “This morning a shooting occurred in Biddeford. A person was killed. ICE was involved. State Police and the Department of Public Safety are now on scene to gather details and would expect the FBI to investigate as well.” ICE and DHS officials could not be immediately reached for comment. Biddeford police did not comment to Reuters and referred inquiries to ICE. The mayor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Former Maine state senator Troy Jackson, running for the Democratic nomination for a US Senate seat, said on X that he had been alerted to the fatal ICE shooting and that his team was monitoring the situation. He added: “Our immigrant communities are under attack by ICE” and called for the agency to be abolished.
Context of Recent ICE Fatal Shootings
The Biddeford case occurred six days after an ICE agent in Houston fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a local builder, while officers were trying to stop his vehicle. Witnesses denied that Salgado weaponized his vehicle, despite ICE claims of self-defense. A DHS spokesperson said Salgado was not the target of an ICE operation; agents attempted to stop his van because an individual inside resembled the target.
Salgado's death was the 10th fatal shooting by federal immigration officials since the second Trump administration took office in early 2025, according to a review by the Guardian. Those include the shooting deaths of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in separate cases in January. The killings have prompted protests.
