White House says ICE vehicle stops remain necessary enforcement tool
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said ICE vehicle stops will continue as officials address recent deaths.
The man fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Maine earlier this week was a hard worker devoted to his family, his partner said in her first public statement since his death.
Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, 25, a Colombian national, was shot and killed the morning of July 13 in Biddeford, Maine, about 15 miles south of Portland. Federal authorities said he tried to flee an attempted stop of his vehicle and an ICE officer fired after “fearing for public safety.”
The most recent shooting by an ICE officer has sparked outrage and renewed scrutiny over immigration enforcement tactics, coming just days after the fatal shooting of a Mexican man in Houston, Texas, by another ICE officer.
“He always dreamed big and he had so many dreams left to fulfill. He was always happy and his joy was contagious. He loved to work and he couldn’t stand sitting still. From the moment we met, we were never separated again,” said Karolina Rojas, Guerrero’s partner.
The lawyer representing his family, Benjamin Gideon, said on July 16 that Guerrero had never been accused of a crime and there were no reports of any threat to safety justifying the officers’ presence the morning he was shot. He said officials have “admitted” that Guerrero was not the target of the officers’ operation, something Sen. Angus King, an independent representing Maine, has also said.
“It was a peaceful, tranquil, beautiful summer morning in the state of Maine. And that tranquility and that peace was shattered by only one thing, and that was the conduct of those federal agents,” Gideon said.
What happened in the Maine ICE shooting?
The shooting happened at about 7 a.m. on July 13 in the downtown Biddeford area, the Department of Homeland Security has said. Guerrero was on his way to work, Gideon said at a news conference.
“ICE law enforcement attempted to conduct a vehicle stop. The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon,” DHS said in a statement.
DHS said Guerrero was in the country illegally, but Gideon disputed that. Gideon said Guerrero was in the country lawfully and was “following a lawful process that’s prescribed by our federal government.” He was issued a work permit by the Trump administration along with a Social Security card, Gideon said.
In response, a DHS spokesperson told USA TODAY in a statement that he entered the country illegally on Sept. 1, 2023, at the southern border and was “released into the country under the Biden Administration.” The spokesperson said work authorization does not confer legal status.
The incident, the second fatal shooting by an ICE officer in less than a week in the United States, prompted new scrutiny on ICE officers, who weren’t wearing body cameras in either encounter and gave similar explanations for shooting at the driver of a vehicle. After the two shootings, DHS said it would make sure at least one officer in each arrest team would be wearing a camera. Reuters reported, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, that DHS would halt vehicle stops by ICE, but President Donald Trump soon publicly reversed course.
Guerrero was a loving father, hard worker, partner says
Guerrero doted on his partner and 3-year-old daughter, Rojas said. He would take his daughter to the park every afternoon, and gave in to her every wish, she said. Guerrero “lived for” his daughter, she said.
“The three of us dreamed of so many things in our future,” she said in Spanish with an interpreter. “That Monday afternoon was supposed to be her day with papa, but he never came home. And now, my daughter asks for papa and I don’t have the strength to tell her that papa isn’t coming, that she can’t hug him anymore.”
Through tears, Rojas said her “soul is broken,” and she feels unprotected without Guerrero.
“You will always be the love of my life, until my heart stops beating. Watch over me,” she said. “Help me care for and protect our daughter.”
Gideon said Rojas was speaking out for the first time because she wants to make sure her partner’s memory “does not become a casualty of the same people who so needlessly took his life.”
“Johan Sebastián was a loving partner and a devoted father and a hard worker who spent all of his time and energy committed to making their life in this country better for all of them,” Gideon said.
ICE officer had history of violence, ex-wives tell news outlets
The officer who shot and killed Guerrero was identified by his ex-wife as 37-year-old David Brouillette, an Army veteran, according to the Associated Press and the Portland Press Herald who spoke to Ashley Brouillette. Ashley Brouillette said he told her he was the ICE officer who shot Guerrero. His daughter, 18-year-old Madison Brouillette, said he also called her and told her the same, according to AP.
USA TODAY has attempted to reach David Brouillette for comment on the allegations. Emails and phone calls were not returned on July 17. The Department of Homeland Security and ICE have not identified the officer and did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reports.
ICE spokesperson Lauren Bis told the AP in a statement that the agency would never confirm or deny “attempts to dox” officers.
“The ICE officer in question has nearly a decade of federal law enforcement experience with required training including use of force training,” Bis told AP.
Ashley Brouillette told the outlets that her ex-husband had a concerning history of violent behavior, including abuse against her during their marriage. She told the AP that he became physically violent with her after she became pregnant with their daughter, causing her to divorce him in 2009. She said he once threw boiling water at her, and her mother also recalled the incident to AP.
Ashley Brouillette told AP and the Press Herald that David Brouillette left her a disturbing voicemail in 2025, which she provided to the outlets. In the voicemail, he said she and other of her female relatives should “have your (expletive) throats cut,” AP reported.
Ashley Brouillette and Madison Brouillette told AP that David Brouillette said the shooting on July 13 was justified.