ICE-involved shooting leaves 1 person dead in Maine, officials say

BIDDEFORD, ME – One person is dead after a shooting involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Maine, multiple state officials said, less than a week after an ICE agent shot and killed a man during a traffic stop in Houston.

The shooting occurred on the morning of July 13 in the downtown area of Biddeford, a city about 15 miles south of Portland, according to a statement from Gov. Janet Mills. She said state police were working with the Maine attorney general's office, the medical examiner and federal officials to "determine the facts of what occurred."

"I know that situations like this are alarming and frightening," Mills said.

ICE and the FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Biddeford Police Department referred USA TODAY's questions to ICE. The police department said it is not leading the investigation and added there is no ongoing threat to the public. Officials have not yet released additional information about the circumstances of the shooting, the identity of the person killed or the role of federal agents.

The shooting comes less than a week after an ICE agent in Houston fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a traffic stop. The case triggered protests and a wave of scrutiny on federal agents months after the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by immigration officers in Minneapolis.

Within hours of the shooting in Biddeford, people began to protest near the crime scene, chanting and holding signs reading "Leave Biddo" and "ICE Out of Our Neighborhoods." Dozens also gathered at a nearby park, where a woman with a bullhorn shouted, "ICE shot and killed a man in Biddeford! Murder! Murder!" Several motorists honked in support as they drove by.

Among the protesters near the shooting scene was Kyle Billings, who said he thought he heard three or four gunshots shortly after waking up.

"Sure enough, that's what it was," he told the Portsmouth Herald, part of the USA TODAY Network.

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said in a post on X that she's "deeply disturbed and angry" by the reports. She said her office was working to learn the circumstances of the shooting. "My sympathy to the individual and their family and to the entire community of Biddeford," she said.

Maine's Secretary of State Shenna Bellows issued a statement condemning the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts.

"Someone is dead. I don't have details, and won't speculate," Bellows said. "But this is at least the 11th fatal shooting involving ICE or Border Patrol under Trump. It's time to get ICE off our streets."

In January, ICE launched a five-day enforcement effort in Maine dubbed "Operation Catch of the Day." The agency surged federal agents into the state and accused its leaders of having "sanctuary" policies.

The agency said it arrested around 200 people it described as the "worst of the worst." But only 11 of those arrested had a criminal record, according to an analysis of federal data by The Maine Monitor and Bangor Daily News.

The surge in Maine mirrored similar deployments to other states, including Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee and Illinois. But after fierce backlash over the deaths of Pretti and Good in Minneapolis, as well as a leadership shakeup at the Department of Homeland Security, the highly visible operations largely came to an end, though immigration-related arrests have continued nationwide.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ICE-involved shooting leaves 1 person dead in Maine, officials say

Reporting by Christopher Cann and Shawn P. Sullivan, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 1:48 PM.