A person, identified by human rights groups as a 26-year-old Colombian man, was killed Monday after a shooting involving federal immigration enforcement (ICE) agents in Maine, a state neighboring Quebec.
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The incident, which occurred in Biddeford, a small town of 22,000, comes a week after an ICE agent fatally shot a Mexican man in Texas, fueling anger at the agency charged with implementing Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Maine Governor Janet Mills said state police were working with federal authorities to determine the circumstances of the incident. The FBI announced that it was investigating the facts.
AFP
A witness, Lucas Scott, told local media he heard at least four gunshots after seeing several ICE agents surrounding a white sedan Monday morning.
Two associations, the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente Maine, which jointly identified the victim, indicated that the man was authorized to work in the United States.
“We will not let this death be reduced to a mere footnote in this administration’s statistics,” said Crystal Cron, executive director of Presente Maine.
AFP
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, did not immediately comment.
Maine Senator Angus King told reporters he learned from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, with whom he spoke, that the victim was the subject of an arrest warrant linked to his immigration status.
AFP
Mr King called for a “full, transparent and open investigation”.
Media images from the scene showed a security perimeter set up on a residential street, with a forensic vehicle parked next to a red tent.
Protesters opposed to ICE also gathered in the area.
“One person is dead, and their loved ones and the people of our community deserve clear answers about what happened,” Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain said in a statement.
AFP
“I appreciate the fear and uncertainty that an incident of this magnitude has aroused in our city,” he added.
Responsible for implementing the mass expulsion campaign wanted by Donald Trump, ICE agents, heavily armed and most often masked, are the subject of criticism across the country because of their methods considered aggressive, as well as after the shooting deaths of two American citizens in Minneapolis this year.
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