A person was killed on Monday in a shooting involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Biddeford, Maine, according to a statement from Maine State House Speaker Ryan Fecteau. The incident occurred just six days after an ICE agent fatally shot a man in Houston, Texas, during a traffic stop.
Details of the Shooting
The shooting took place around 7:20 a.m. in Biddeford, a city of more than 21,000 people located about 15 miles south of Portland and 90 miles north of Boston. Eyewitness Lucas Scott told the Biddeford Gazette that he saw at least two officers in green ICE vests gathered around a white sedan stopped at an intersection. Scott reported that the agents were yelling loudly and that he heard at least four gunshots.
Local media reported that authorities closed a road and that FBI officials joined local law enforcement at the crime scene. Crowds gathered in protest shortly after the shooting, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Official Responses
In a Facebook post, Speaker Fecteau wrote: "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."
Former Maine state senator Troy Jackson, who is running for the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat, said on X: "I have been alerted to the fatal ICE shooting in Biddeford. Our team is monitoring this situation very closely and will provide updates as we learn more. My heart is with Biddeford – and with all Mainers." Jackson added in a follow-up post: "Our immigrant communities are under attack by ICE. The agency must be abolished."
ICE and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials could not be immediately reached for comment. Biddeford police referred inquiries to ICE, and the mayor did not respond to requests for comment.
Context and Previous Incidents
The Biddeford shooting 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 that the agent acted in self-defense. A DHS spokesperson said Salgado was not the target of an ICE arrest operation but that agents attempted to stop his van because an individual inside resembled the target.
According to a review by the Guardian, Salgado's death marked the 10th fatal shooting by federal immigration officials in the U.S. since the second Trump administration took office in early 2025. Other victims include U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were shot by immigration officials in Minneapolis in separate incidents in January. These killings have prompted protests.
Biddeford Mayor Liam Fountain had previously called the concept of immigration enforcement in the city "deeply unsettling," noting that Biddeford had been shaped over time by immigrants seeking safety, work, and the opportunity to build a life.
