Several leading Democratic candidates vying to replace Graham Platner in Maine's U.S. Senate race are intensifying calls to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a fatal shooting of a man by federal agents in Biddeford. The incident has propelled immigration to the forefront of a critical Senate contest that could influence the chamber's majority.
Nirav Shah, former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, stated in an interview with Fox News Digital that "ICE needs to be abolished" and that the agency in its current form has proven incapable of its duties. Shah was among hundreds of protesters who gathered near the shooting site hours after the incident.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows also spoke out, declaring, "This is not acceptable in America. A young man, a dad, has been killed by ICE... This must stop. We need to get ICE out of the streets."
Former state Senate President Troy Jackson took to social media to express his stance with a simple "Abolish ICE" and held a sign at the protest advocating for the agency's dismantling. Paige Loud, a social worker and previous congressional candidate now running for Senate, also attended the demonstration, calling for the abolition of ICE and prosecution of its leaders.
The shooting in Biddeford marks the second time in a week that ICE agents have used deadly force, following a similar incident during a traffic stop in Houston, Texas. These events have reignited protests and scrutiny of federal agents.
The Maine attorney general's office, in conjunction with the FBI, is investigating the Biddeford shooting. Initial reports suggest the motorist being targeted by the enforcement operation attempted to flee toward an ICE agent. Two immigration advocacy groups have indicated that the deceased individual was authorized to work in the U.S. and possessed a Social Security number.
The calls for abolishing ICE come shortly after Graham Platner ended his Senate campaign amid allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denied. Platner's exit from the race, once backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, leaves a high-profile contest against Republican Sen. Susan Collins, a race considered crucial for the GOP's slim Senate majority in the upcoming November elections.
Seven Democrats are competing for the nomination, to be decided at a state party convention on July 25.
Senator Susan Collins acknowledged the incident, stating that "a full and impartial investigation of what happened" was necessary. She later confirmed that the Boston office of the DHS Inspector General, in cooperation with the FBI, had taken over the investigation into the Biddeford shooting.