“We are devastated and outraged by the deatn of a 26 year old Colombian man during a shooting involving US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Biddeford on the morning of July 13, 2026,” wrote the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coaltion and Presente! Maine in a joint press release issued early this afternoon.

Presente! confirmed that the young man was authorized to work in the United States and had been issued a Social Security number.  He was a member of our community, a neighbor and a human being whose life was cut tragically short.  We extend our deepest condolences to his family, loved ones and everyone now grieving this unimaginable loss.

A 26 year old man came to Maine to live and work and now his family is mourning his death following an incident involving ICE.  This is devastating, enraging and unacceptable.  His loved ones deserve answers, and the public deserves a full and transparent account of what happened.

The shooting itself was not reported through IRC’s Immigrant Defense Hotline.  However, calls received in the immediate aftermath reported additional ICE activity elsewhere in the area.  It is deeply disturbing that immigrantion enforcement activity appeared to continue even as authorities responded to a fatal incident involving the agency.  At a moment when a person had just lost his life and an investigation had barely begun, members of our community were still reporting ICE activity and fearing that others could be detained or harmed.

“Our communities are huring….” said MIRC Executive Director Mufato Chigam.  “Today, a 26 year old member of our community is dead following an incident involving ICE.  We are grieving, we are furious, and we will not allow his death to be treated as routine or inevitable.  How much more harm must our communities endure before those with the power to act acknowledge that this gone too far.”

State and federal authorities are investigating and many critical facts have not yet been publicly established.  MIRC calls for a prompt, independent and transparent investigation; a full accunting of every agency and officer involved; the preservation of all body-camera footage, surveillance footage, communications and other evidence and the timely public release of findings consistent with the dignity and privacy of the victim and his familly.

ICE must not be allowed to investigate itself or control the public narrative surrounding a death in which its personnel or operations were ivolved.  We also call on our elected officials to invest in a fair, functional, and humane immigration system, not further expansion of immigration enforcement and to strengthen protections that prevent local resources from being diverted toward federal immigration enforcement.

Whlle information continues to develop, we strongly encourage community members to exercise caution, avoid active law-enforcement areas and contact MIRC’s Immigrant Defense Hotline. We also ask the public not to circulae unveiled claims that could create further fear or interfere with efforts to establish what happened.

People across Maine have already endured esclating detentions, aggressive enforcement activity and the fear of being taken from their homes, workplaces and families.  Today, that escalation has ended in the loss of a young life.

MIRC stands with the victim’s family, Biddeford residents, our coalition members and every community affected by immigration enforcement.  We will continue supporting impacted community members, demanding answers and sharing verified information as it becomes available.

“It has been reported this evening that this deceased man was not the target of the warrant,” said this blogger.