Politics
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U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren are demanding answers from federal authorities following the deadly shooting involving immigration enforcement agents in Biddeford on Monday, which they described as part of a pattern of increasingly reckless actions.
The Massachusetts Democrats on Thursday wrote the acting chief of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Boston field office, which oversees enforcement in Maine. They asked about the office’s involvement and potential failures in Biddeford as ICE has “sharply escalated enforcement activity nationwide,” according to a letter provided to the Bangor Daily News.
The lawmakers said the fatal shootings of 25-year-old Colombia native Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero in Biddeford and 52-year-old Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas marked “a disturbing pattern: warrantless, aggressive and indiscriminate ICE enforcement operations ending in the loss of life.”
“Since last year, federal agents have fired on more than 20 people, many of whom were shot in their vehicles, as part of immigration crackdowns,” they wrote. “Six people, including three U.S. citizens, have died in these incidents. In many cases, video evidence or eyewitness accounts have undermined the accounts initially provided by federal officials.”
The senators’ push for accountability from the field office comes as the Maine delegation and Gov. Janet Mills have called for greater scrutiny of the shooting and called on ICE to temporarily halt non-urgent vehicle stops — a push dismissed Wednesday by President Donald Trump.
Coming as Trump and the Republican Party hope to keep control of Congress and with Sen. Susan Collins fighting for a sixth term, the uproar over the Biddeford shooting has sparked protests and calls for greater oversight among Maine Democrats, many of whom want ICE to leave the state or be abolished entirely.
Markey and Warren highlighted that neither Guerrero nor Araujo was the target of an ICE warrant. And they cast doubt on Homeland Security’s initial claims that Guerrero had “weaponized” his vehicle, saying “there is no video evidence supporting this account.”
They cited the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in January 2026 in Minnesota, and said the recent ramp up of arrests and continued incidents of violence “illustrate that the Biddeford shooting was not an aberration but part of a broader, escalating pattern of force that demands immediate scrutiny and reform.”
The senators called for written answers on the Boston field office’s role in planning, overseeing or authorizing the Biddeford operation; why Guerrero was engaged with lethal force if he was not the target; what identification protocols failed; what evidence supports the claims an ICE officer fired due to public safety concerns; why the officers weren’t equipped with body cameras; and the timeline for camera deployment to the field office.
Markey and Warren also asked whether the officer who shot Guerrero had been involved in prior use-of-force incidents. They seek “any surveillance, radio logs, internal communications, or other materials that document the Biddeford operation” and want clarity on the current use-of-force policies for vehicle stops and training around them.
“This moment demands transparency, accountability, and a halt to this escalating pattern of lethal enforcement,” the letter reads.
Both Collins and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat from Maine’s 1st District, have said they were told by Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin that non-urgent vehicle stops would be put on hold. But Trump overturned that directive Wednesday, and Mullin that evening said he and Trump were on the same page, leaving “all options available.”
The Maine congressional delegation wrote a joint letter to Homeland Security inspector general earlier this week saying the facts “necessitate a thorough, objective accounting.” The four lawmakers asked for a timeline of events in Biddeford, an evaluation of tactics and the use of force, and clarification on audio, body cameras and evidence preservation.”
ICE said it was conducting targeted surveillance in Biddeford on a person with a final order of removal. Guerrero departed the residence in a vehicle, and when ICE agents tried to conduct a stop, “The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and fearing for public safety an officer discharged his weapon,” the agency said.
Asked about vehicle stops, an ICE spokesperson said the agency is “always evaluating our procedures to keep our officers safe and criminals off our streets,” but would not discuss tactics. The agency on Wednesday warned undocumented immigrants that “attempting to evade arrest is dangerous,” and criticized Democratic lawmakers across the country who have shared information and tips on dealing with ICE encounters or avoiding arrest.
The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey’s office and other agencies continue to investigate the Biddeford shooting.