The death of a Colombian immigrant during an operation by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) sparked a wave of protests this Monday in the city of Biddeford, where dozens of residents took to the streets to demand a transparent investigation and question the increase in immigration actions promoted by President Donald Trump's administration.

The 26-year-old Colombian died after an ICE agent opened fire during a detention operation related to a final deportation order. According to the first versions provided by federal authorities and the Maine Attorney General's Office, the driver attempted to advance his vehicle toward the agents, who considered that there was a sufficient threat to respond with lethal force.

The independent senator from Maine, Angus King, reported that he had a conversation with the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, who explained that the agent shot after the man allegedly used his car as a weapon. However, King stressed that it will be the investigation that determines whether the use of force was fully justified.

As part of the usual protocol in this type of case, the agent involved was suspended from duty while the investigations led by the Maine Prosecutor's Office, the FBI and other federal agencies continue.

Witnesses describe scenes of anguish

Immigrant rights organizations identified the deceased as a Colombian citizen with authorization to work legally in the United States and with a Social Security number. According to activists, he lived in Biddeford with his wife and young daughter.

Neighbors who witnessed the incident recounted scenes of despair after the shooting. A resident claimed to have seen the man's wife kneel next to the body, while the couple's daughter cried near the scene.

Security cameras from a nearby business also captured the moments after the shooting. According to the owner of the establishment, the vehicle continued to advance uncontrollably after being hit by bullets and ended up spinning at an intersection before stopping.

Senator King also confirmed that the agents participating in the operation were not wearing body cameras, a situation that could make it difficult to accurately reconstruct the events and that has generated new criticism of ICE procedures.

Pressure grows on ICE amid increased operations

Hours after the shooting, hundreds of protesters gathered near the scene with banners demanding the departure of ICE from Maine and denouncing the increase in immigration operations in the state. The protest also reached the office of Republican Senator Susan Collins, where attendees demanded greater oversight of the work of the federal agency. Collins later called for a “thorough and impartial” investigation to clarify what happened.

The Colombian embassy reported that it maintains communication with the US authorities to officially confirm the identity and nationality of the victim, in addition to providing consular assistance to the family.

The case represents the second incident involving the use of lethal force by ICE agents in less than a week and adds to a series of episodes that occurred during the strengthening of the Trump administration's deportation policies.

According to data analyzed by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley, ICE has significantly increased arrests in Maine since the beginning of the second presidential term, a context that continues to fuel the national debate about the scope of immigration operations and the use of force by federal authorities.