ICE suspends most vehicle stops after Maine shooting sparks protests

Maine,UPDATED: Jul 15, 2026 00:34 IST

The Trump administration has asked Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to suspend most vehicle stops after two deadly shootings in a little over a week, according to a person familiar with the matter. The order, issued after the latest shooting in Maine, is not absolute and allows exceptions in cases such as executing a criminal warrant or working with partner agencies, the person said on condition of anonymity because the matter involved sensitive law enforcement operations.

The move came as hundreds of people protested in Maine over the killing of 26-year-old Colombian national Johan Sebastin Durn Guerrero by an ICE officer in Biddeford on Monday. The shooting has also raised questions after federal officials appeared to change their account of what happened during the encounter.

The Department of Homeland Security said an ICE officer, "fearing for public safety," shot and killed Durn Guerrero while officers were watching the home of someone they believed was in the US illegally and had a final order of removal. In a post on X, the department said that when ICE tried to stop a car driven by someone coming from the home, the vehicle tried to flee and the officer fired his weapon. Hours earlier, Maine Senator Angus King had said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him the officer opened fire after the man tried to use his vehicle as a weapon. King said Mullin had told him officers were trying to serve an arrest warrant, but not for the man who was shot. The Colombian Embassy identified the driver as Durn Guerrero. In a sharp post on X, outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro called the shooting a targeted killing "at the hands of the U.S. government" and said ICE officers treated Durn Guerrero as "an inferior being without rights".

The shooting has sparked anger in Biddeford and nearby areas. Protesters gathered outside an ICE detention centre in Scarborough on Tuesday. Organiser Todd Chretien told the crowd, "These people are killers and they must leave our state now." Durn Guerrero's death was the second time in a week that ICE used deadly force and at least the ninth death since President Donald Trump began his immigration crackdown. The officers involved in the Biddeford shooting did not have body cameras. Questions remain about how close the officer was to the vehicle, whether Durn Guerrero was told to stop, and how ICE concluded that the public was in danger. An ICE spokesperson said, "We are always evaluating our procedures to keep our officers safe and criminals off our streets. We will not disclose or discuss law enforcement tactics." Maine Senator Susan Collins said Mullin told her that the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General was investigating with the FBI. Photos showed bullet holes in the car's windscreen. The Maine attorney general's office said initial statements suggested the driver was trying to flee in the direction of the officer, who has not been named and has been placed on leave.

Video from a nearby business's security camera, obtained by the AP, showed a white car slowly approaching an intersection before making several circles. A law enforcement SUV then blocked its path and two officers opened the driver's door and dragged out a limp body. The footage does not make clear when the shots were fired. A nearby resident, Daniel Boucher, said he heard a "pop, pop, pop" and ran to the intersection. "His face was bloody. His head was bloody," Boucher said. "I clearly heard the victim say, I tried to stop." Boucher also said the officer who shot Durn Guerrero later told him, "He tried to run me over," or words to that effect.

Two advocacy groups, the Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition and Presente!, said Durn Guerrero was authorised to work in the US. Neighbours described him as a familiar and friendly presence. Sadie Dilboy, who owns a laundromat near where the car stopped, said, "Everyone knows him," recalling that he often came to the shop with his young daughter and gave her quarters to buy candy. Durn Guerrero is survived by his wife and daughter. Neighbour Claudia Morton said, "The whole world should be crying." Last week in Houston, an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo after federal authorities in unmarked vehicles pursued him as he drove to a construction job site.

The two shootings have come as the Trump administration pushes ahead with its mass deportation drive. Over five days at the end of June, ICE arrested more than 10,000 people. The latest order to suspend most vehicle stops follows the Biddeford shooting, which has triggered protests, multiple investigations and renewed scrutiny of ICE enforcement tactics.

With PTI Inputs

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