Key Takeaways
- An ICE operation in Biddeford resulted in the death of 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero after officials said he was not the intended target.
- Federal and state authorities are reviewing conflicting accounts about whether the vehicle posed a threat before shots were fired.
- The incident follows another mistaken-target ICE shooting in Houston, drawing protests and additional scrutiny of enforcement practices.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Joan Sebastian Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian father, during an enforcement operation in Biddeford, Maine, that federal officials later acknowledged was aimed at someone else.
The shooting occurred shortly after 7 a.m. Monday (July 13) near Pool and Hill streets. A neighbor, family friend and immigrant-rights advocates identified Guerrero, who lived with his wife and daughter. Two organizations, the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente! Maine, said he was authorized to work in the United States, though the Department of Homeland Security has not clarified his full immigration status.
DHS said ICE agents were surveilling the last known address of a person with a final removal order when Guerrero left in a vehicle. According to the agency, officers attempted a traffic stop before the driver tried to flee and an officer, “fearing for public safety,” opened fire.
Maine Sen. Angus King said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin initially told him the driver had “weaponized his vehicle” and was the subject of an immigration warrant. King’s office later said Mullin corrected that account and confirmed Guerrero “was not the target of the warrant.”
The Maine Attorney General’s Office said preliminary statements indicated the vehicle moved “in the direction of the officer.” Witnesses described agents striking Guerrero’s sedan with an SUV and surrounding it before shots were fired. Available video does not clearly capture the shooting. One resident said Guerrero was bleeding heavily after exiting the vehicle and told agents, “I tried to stop.”
The officer has not been publicly identified and will be placed on leave under standard protocol. King and Rep. Chellie Pingree said the agents lacked body cameras. Maine’s Attorney General’s Office is investigating, while DHS said its Office of Inspector General will also review the shooting.
The Maine ICE shooting follows another mistaken-target operation
Guerrero’s death came six days after an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old father Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston. A DHS official later confirmed that Salgado Araujo was also not the intended target. In both cases, federal officials said officers fired after vehicles allegedly posed threats, while witnesses disputed parts of the government’s accounts.
After learning Guerrero was not ICE’s target, Maine Gov. Janet Mills called the development “disturbing and infuriating” and said it underscored the “reckless and haphazard” conduct of immigration operations. Hundreds gathered for vigils and protests as investigators continued collecting evidence.