- The White House is reviewing ICE vetting procedures after a fatal shooting of a Colombian national in Maine.
- Officer David Brouillette reportedly had multiple red flags in his past that did not block his hiring.
- The incident has sparked clashes over vehicle-stop policies between DHS officials and the Trump administration.
The White House and the Department of Homeland Security confirmed as of July 27 that the ICE vetting process is under internal review after an officer fatally shot a Colombian man during an immigration operation in Biddeford, Maine.
The shooting happened on July 13, 2026. The victim, Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, was a 26-year-old Colombian national who lived in Maine and was work-authorized. Official reports indicate he was not the intended target.
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Tom Homan, the administration’s border czar, addressed the review in a July 26 interview. Reports had raised questions about the officer involved, David Brouillette, including domestic violence allegations and racist beliefs.
"If those are facts, he—I don't think he should ever have cleared vetting."
Homan said DHS was “investigating the procedures” used during a recent aggressive recruitment surge. Brouillette has been placed on administrative leave while the investigations continue.
The review follows a shooting that has drawn scrutiny from federal investigators, state authorities, members of Congress and officials in southern Maine. It also comes after another fatal ICE shooting involving a non-target individual within the same week.
The July 13-15 timeline links the shooting to the review and policy dispute
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| July 13, 2026 | An ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officer fired at a vehicle in Biddeford, killing Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero. |
| July 13-15, 2026 | DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Maine senators that the DHS Inspector General’s Boston office had taken over the investigation in cooperation with the FBI. |
| July 14, 2026 | Senator Susan Collins said she urged Mullin to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops after the deadly shooting. |
| July 15, 2026 | DHS issued a memo pausing most vehicle stops, then President Trump overruled the pause through social media. |
Mullin informed Maine senators that the DHS Inspector General’s Boston office had taken over the investigation in cooperation with the FBI. The Maine Attorney General is also conducting a fatal-use-of-force investigation.
Reports indicated that Brouillette had “red flags” in his past that prevented him from becoming a local police officer. Those reports have intensified questions about whether the hiring push weakened the agency’s background screening.
Mullin also defended the options available to ICE officers in a July 15 post on X.
"We want our [ICE] officers to have all options available to keep them safe while executing our mission of deporting as many illegal alien criminals from our country as possible."
The vehicle-stop policy became a separate point of dispute. After the department issued a memo pausing most stops, President Trump overruled the pause on July 15. He called traffic stops an “important and effective Crime Fighting tool” and instructed agents to be “judicious, fair and smart.”
Collins urged DHS to halt non-urgent stops after the death
Senator Susan Collins released her statement on July 14 after speaking with Mullin. She said the investigation was incomplete but had raised enough questions to warrant stopping non-urgent vehicle stops.
"While the investigation of the Biddeford shooting is not yet complete, it raises sufficient critical questions. I spoke with DHS Secretary Mullin last night and urged him to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops in the wake of yesterday's deadly Biddeford shooting."
The administration’s decision to resume the practice came as officials continued examining the circumstances of the shooting. The review of hiring procedures now sits alongside the inquiries into the use of force and operational decisions.
Body-camera records have added another unresolved issue. ICE agents at the scene were reportedly equipped with body-worn cameras, but initial reports suggested the devices were not active or failed to record the incident.
Senator Angus King and 38 other colleagues cited the camera issue in a letter to DHS. The letter made the missing or incomplete recording part of congressional scrutiny over the shooting.
Maine officials and the victim’s family are seeking answers
Durán Guerrero’s family has called for a “thorough, independent, and transparent investigation.” Biddeford and neighboring Kittery issued statements of “outrage.” Local officials called for ICE agents to be removed from their communities until the investigations are finalized.
The case has also placed the officer’s employment status under review. Brouillette remains on administrative leave pending the DHS Inspector General and Maine Attorney General investigations.
The Biddeford death was the second fatal shooting by ICE agents of a non-target individual within one week. On July 7, 2026, the first occurred in Houston, Texas, killing Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
The two deaths sparked nationwide protests and congressional scrutiny over the “militarization” of civil immigration enforcement and the lack of transparency in federal operations within local communities. The Biddeford investigations will proceed as the administration reviews how the officer passed its hiring and vetting procedures.
