The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) agent who killed Colombian Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero during an operation in Maine was a new recruit for the agency, a revelation that has intensified doubts about the preparation of the elements incorporated in recent months to reinforce President Donald Trump's immigration policy.

According to a report from The Atlantic, the agent had been hired by ICE this year, after having worked since 2017 in the Department of Veterans Affairs Police. So far, authorities have not publicly released his identity.

Training of new agents is under scrutiny

The case comes as ICE accelerates hiring to meet its goal of increasing immigration detentions nationwide.

According to the aforementioned media, the agency incorporated nearly 8,000 new agents in recent months. As part of that process, some received reduced training before taking to the streets, a decision that was later reversed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), after internal questions about the preparation of the new elements.

Veteran officials consulted by the media pointed out that many agents receive less training to carry out vehicle arrests than police officers from other corporations, despite the fact that this type of operation represents one of the highest risk scenarios.

Deadly shootings reignite debate over use of force

The death of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian immigrant, occurred during a traffic operation in Biddeford, Maine. According to DHS, the agent opened fire because he “feared for public safety” when the driver tried to escape with his vehicle.

However, so far no videos have been released that allow us to clearly reconstruct what happened. Additionally, DHS confirmed that the officers involved were not wearing body cameras.

The case came just days after another fatal shooting in Houston, where Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican immigrant, was killed. In both episodes, the victims tried to flee during ICE operations, although experts on the use of force consulted by The Atlantic maintain that this action, by itself, does not justify the use of lethal force.

As a result of both events, ICE temporarily suspended arrests resulting from vehicle checkpoints while investigations by the FBI and the DHS internal affairs office continue.

The DHS avoided elaborating on the decision, but said in a statement reported by the media: "We are always evaluating our procedures to keep our agents safe and criminals off our streets. We will not disclose or discuss law enforcement tactics."

The revelation about the experience of the agent involved has revived the debate in the United States about the preparation of new ICE recruits, especially in a context of increasing immigration operations and a strategy that seeks to significantly increase immigration detentions.