Maine Lawmaker Says ICE Shooting Victim Was Not the Target
A congresswoman says the man killed by ICE in Maine was not the target and had no final removal order, contradicting agency statements.
A Democratic congresswoman from Maine has revealed that the man fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent last month was not the intended target of the operation and was not subject to a final removal order.
Rep. Chellie Pingree made the remarks during a hearing in Biddeford on Monday, where she and other Democratic House members discussed the use of deadly force by ICE in the state. The shooting occurred on July 13, when 25-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national, was killed by an ICE officer while sitting in a car near his home.
According to Pingree, the actual target of the operation was Durán Guerrero's roommate, who owned the vehicle Durán Guerrero was driving. She called the revelation a "shocking contradiction" to what ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had previously stated about the incident.
Pingree noted that while Durán Guerrero had a pending asylum case and a valid work permit, he did not have a final order of removal. "Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero should be alive today," she said, adding that many basic questions remain unanswered more than a month after the shooting.
In response, DHS issued a statement late Monday standing by its earlier assessment. An agency spokesperson said ICE was conducting "targeted surveillance on the last known address of an illegal alien with a final order of removal," but declined to disclose further details, citing law enforcement sensitivity. The spokesperson also said the agency never explicitly named Durán Guerrero or his roommate as the target.
The Maine Attorney General's office is still investigating the shooting. At the time, DHS said the officer fired because Durán Guerrero attempted to flee and the officer feared for public safety. However, it has since emerged that the officer had a history of violent behavior and mental health issues, prompting calls from Pingree and other lawmakers for greater scrutiny of ICE's training and vetting procedures.
The incident also led to a temporary policy change within ICE to suspend most vehicle stops, though President Donald Trump quickly voiced opposition to that move.