- Protests are planned nationwide after an ICE officer fatally shot a delivery driver in Biddeford, Maine.
- The victim, Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, was not the target named in the federal warrant.
- Advocates demand an independent state-led investigation and the immediate implementation of officer body cameras.
Local immigrant-rights organizers will hold protests Saturday after an ICE officer fatally shot Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero during an enforcement operation in Biddeford, Maine, prompting demands for an independent investigation and tighter federal oversight.
Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian national, died July 13, 2026, after agents arrived to serve a warrant for another person who had a final order of removal. Sen. Angus King confirmed that Durán Guerrero was not the person named in the warrant.
Organizers have called the demonstrations a National Day of Action. Events are planned across the state and the country on Saturday, July 18, 2026, as Durán Guerrero’s family seeks answers about the use of deadly force.
Free toolUSCIS Receipt Number DecoderDurán Guerrero worked as a delivery driver and lived with his partner, Martha Karolina Rojas Alvarez, and their 3-year-old daughter. He held a valid Social Security number and work authorization.
His family held a press conference Thursday through attorney Benjamin Gideon. Rojas Alvarez described Durán Guerrero as a devoted father who moved to the state to build a better life.
Federal and witness accounts diverge over the shooting
The Department of Homeland Security said shortly after the shooting that the agent fired while “fearing for public safety” after a vehicle “attempted to flee” during a targeted surveillance operation. Agents had gone to the location to serve the warrant against another individual.
Witness statements and home security footage have fueled allegations that the shooting was unprovoked. The differing accounts have intensified scrutiny of the operation and of federal enforcement tactics.
The agent involved has been identified as David Brouillette, a 37-year-old who joined Immigration and Customs Enforcement in late 2025. Investigative reports have described mental health struggles and domestic violence accusations in his background, prompting congressional demands for a review of Department of Homeland Security vetting procedures.
The shooting also came amid a sharp increase in enforcement activity. Arrests in the state have more than quadrupled since June 2026, reaching approximately 70 per day in early July. At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration agents since the current administration began its enforcement crackdown.
DHS confirmed Durán Guerrero’s work authorization
A DHS spokesperson confirmed the victim’s immigration history on July 15, 2026.
“Durán entered the United States via the southern border in September 2023. and received work authorization in May 2025.”
The Colombian Embassy is providing consular assistance and has formally requested a full report from the U.S. government on the use of deadly force against one of its nationals.
The family’s attorney has represented relatives as they seek information about the operation. Organizers say the shooting amounted to the “wrongful death” of a work-authorized resident.
Organizers want the state attorney general to lead the inquiry
The Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition (MIRC), Presente! Maine, and the Maine AFL-CIO organized Saturday’s actions. Their first demand is a transparent investigation led by the Maine Attorney General's Office rather than an inquiry conducted solely by federal authorities.
They also want body-worn cameras implemented immediately for all ICE agents. DHS promised the policy in January, but the department has yet to fully deploy the cameras.
Accountability for Durán Guerrero’s death forms the third central demand. The groups are pressing officials to examine the use of deadly force and the circumstances surrounding an operation aimed at another person.
The case has also drawn attention to federal hiring practices. Brouillette joined the agency in late 2025, while congressional lawmakers have called for a review of how DHS vets personnel assigned to armed enforcement work.
A temporary vehicle-stop pause quickly became an administration dispute
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin ordered a temporary suspension of non-urgent vehicle stops on July 14, 2026, after the shooting and a similar fatal incident in Houston the previous week.
President Donald Trump opposed the pause the next day. In a social-media statement, he wrote:
“We CANNOT give up one of ICE's most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!”
Mullin issued a clarification on July 16, 2026, defending broad enforcement authority while saying he and the president remained aligned.
“People illegally in the country will be arrested and deported wherever they are. [The President and I] are on the same page. we want ICE officers to have all options available to keep them safe while executing our mission.”
The statements followed public criticism of the temporary pause. They placed non-urgent vehicle stops at the center of a dispute over officer safety and the way immigration agents carry out surveillance and arrest operations.
Saturday’s demonstrations will bring those demands into the streets. Durán Guerrero’s family has requested a full government report, while organizers are seeking a state-led inquiry and immediate camera deployment for federal agents.
