Protesters chase Maine governor from ICE memorial site
Maine Governor Janet Mills was chased from a Biddeford memorial for Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero after protesters yelled at her to leave. The Department of Homeland Security said an ICE officer shot Guerrero when a vehicle fled a stop. Mills said ICE should be scrapped if it cannot be fixed.
Key Takeaways
- Protesters chased Gov. Janet Mills from a Biddeford memorial for Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero on Wednesday.
- Demonstrators accused Mills of failing to protect residents from ICE and yelled for her to leave.
- The Department of Homeland Security said an officer fired after a vehicle attempted to flee a stop.
- Mills said ICE should be scrapped if it cannot be fixed; Trump reversed a brief pause on ICE vehicle stops.
What happened when Governor Mills visited the memorial?
According to The Boston Globe, Mills arrived unannounced Wednesday afternoon at the memorial on the corner of Hill and Pool streets in Biddeford, Maine.
She spent a short time looking at flowers and notes left where Guerrero died. Then about 10 people raised their voices, shouting “Get out of here!” and “Get away!” as she walked quickly back to her car.
One man threw a pair of plastic handcuffs at her SUV as it left. Biddeford resident Kelsey Cummings followed with a sign reading “You ignored us,” saying elected leaders had been absent as ICE detained Maine residents in recent weeks.
What did the Department of Homeland Security say about the shooting?
WABI reported that the Department of Homeland Security released new details Wednesday about the Monday shooting involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
DHS said Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian national, illegally entered the United States on September 1, 2023, through the southern border. Agents were surveilling an address for a person with a final order of removal.
When ICE tried to stop a vehicle leaving that address, DHS said the vehicle “attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon.” U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King called on the Department of Justice to coordinate with Maine state and local law enforcement on the investigation.
Why does the department homeland security debate matter now?
On the same day as the memorial confrontation, Mills said ICE should be scrapped as a federal agency if it cannot be fixed after the fatal Biddeford shooting.
Nationally, after deadly ICE vehicle stops, a brief pause on most stops was reversed. Fox News reported President Donald Trump’s swift reversal was hailed by at least one deportation agent as showing “confidence” in frontline workers, even as training concerns continued.
For more coverage of fast-moving institutional flashpoints, see BlasterPost’s Future Tech & AI Wonders section.
What questions remain unanswered?
Mills’s office did not immediately respond to the Globe’s request for comment on the memorial confrontation. Public debate over ICE tactics and Department of Homeland Security oversight remained intense as investigators continued their work.