Maine Democrats are leveraging a fatal shooting by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in their state to criticize Republican Sen. Susan Collins, aiming to redirect attention from a recent scandal that has impacted their party's Senate race. The incident, which occurred just south of Maine's largest city, marks the second time in a week that an ICE agent has used deadly force on American soil.
An ICE agent fatally shot a 26-year-old Colombian national on Monday. Officials stated that the agents involved were not using body cameras and that the victim was not the target of their investigation. This event is the first fatal shooting by ICE in Maine and at least the ninth death since President Donald Trump's administration began its immigration enforcement measures.
The shooting has prompted a strong reaction from Maine Democrats, who are seeking a replacement for their Senate nominee, Graham Platner, who withdrew from the race late last week following a sexual assault allegation, which he denies.
Senate hopeful Nirav Shah, former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, directly linked the shooting to Collins' role as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which oversees ICE's budget. Shah stated outside Collins' office Tuesday, "She's got power, but she didn’t use it to rein in a rogue agency, and instead gave them a blank check to kill."
Collins, who is in Washington for Senate business, issued a statement Tuesday saying, "While the investigation of the Biddeford shooting is not yet complete, it raises sufficient critical questions that I spoke with DHS Secretary Mullin last night and urged him to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops."
Democratic strategist Josh Schwerin commented that the tragedy "refocuses the conversation from Platner fallout to the real world impact of Susan Collins voting to give ICE tens of billions of dollars with zero reforms." He added, "The impact will be real."
Protesters gathered near an ICE facility in Scarborough on Tuesday, condemning Collins for supporting increased funding for the agency. Signs displayed messages such as "Stop the murder" and "End this terror." Kelli Brennan, co-president of the Maine State Nurses Association, questioned the safety and benefit derived from the shooting.
Troy Jackson, a candidate to replace Platner and former Maine Senate leader, has also spoken out against ICE. During a progressive organizing meeting Monday night, Jackson stated, "Immigrant communities are living under constant threat from an agency that operates with cruelty and impunity. We need accountability and leaders who believe every person deserves dignity, safety and due process."
Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, also present at the organizing meeting, referred to the shooting as "murder" and advocated for the abolition of ICE, noting his vote against its creation in 2003.
Earlier incidents this month include an ICE agent fatally shooting a man in Houston after he attempted to evade arrest, and two people being killed by federal officers in Minnesota in January. According to an AP-NORC poll conducted earlier this year, approximately 6 in 10 U.S. adults felt that Trump had "gone too far" in deploying federal immigration agents into American cities, with political independents expressing increasing discomfort with the administration's tactics.