Joan Sebastian Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian national, was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Biddeford, Maine on Monday morning, according to local news reports. His death has intensified scrutiny over a string of fatal encounters involving federal immigration enforcement in recent months.
The shooting unfolded around 7 a.m. ET as ICE conducted what the Department of Homeland Security described as targeted surveillance. According to DHS, agents attempted to stop a vehicle, which then fled the scene. An officer discharged his weapon out of concern for public safety, striking the driver. Emergency responders arrived but Guerrero died from his injuries.
Yet witness accounts paint a more complex picture. One woman who observed the incident told the Bangor Daily News that agents rammed Guerrero's sedan before surrounding it with weapons drawn and ordering him out. When he attempted to flee, at least one agent opened fire. Another witness reported hearing Guerrero say "I tried to stop" as agents removed his body from the car.
Guerrero was married with a young child. Immigration rights activists said he possessed a valid social security number and authorization to work in the United States, though the Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on his immigration status. His daughter was still in her pajamas watching the children's program Bluey when her father was killed, according to one neighbor's account to the Portland Press Herald.
The Colombian embassy issued a statement Monday expressing deep regret over the death and requesting clarification from DHS regarding the circumstances. Senator Angus King's office revealed that DHS informed the senator that Guerrero was not the person targeted in the warrant that prompted the operation.
The confusion over the warrant's actual subject underscores broader questions about how ICE identifies and pursues individuals. DHS has released limited details beyond its initial statement, leaving key facts about Guerrero's status and the justification for lethal force unresolved as of Tuesday.
Guerrero's death marks the 11th fatality from federal immigration enforcement since Trump's second term began in early 2025. He is the fifth person killed by ICE while operating a vehicle. The incident also represents the second such killing in a week. On July 7, ICE agents in Houston fatally shot Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during what officials said was an operation targeting a different individual.
Both recent killings have prompted street protests echoing demonstrations that followed January shootings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by immigration enforcement officials in Minneapolis.
Author James Rodriguez: "The disconnect between DHS's account and what witnesses describe is stark, and the pattern of mistaken identity operations demands answers before more people die."
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