PORTLAND, Maine - Several candidates competing to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic Senate nominee in Maine are advocating for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a fatal shooting by federal immigration officers in Biddeford. The incident occurred on Monday, when ICE agents shot and killed a man approximately 15 miles southwest of Portland. In response, four candidates participated in a protest near the shooting site.
Nirav Shah, former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, stated, "I think we are at the point where ICE needs to be abolished. ICE in its current form has shown itself incapable of doing its job." Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows remarked, "This is not acceptable in America. A young man, a dad, has been killed by ICE... This must stop. We need to get ICE out of the streets."
Troy Jackson, a former state Senate president, expressed his support for abolishing ICE on social media and held a sign at the protest advocating for the agency's dismantling. Paige Loud, a social worker and former congressional candidate, also attended the protest and called for the prosecution of leaders responsible for operations that harm communities.
This incident is the second shooting involving ICE agents in a week, following a fatal shooting during a traffic stop in Houston, Texas. The Maine attorney general's office, along with the FBI, is investigating the shooting, with initial reports suggesting the targeted motorist was attempting to flee towards an ICE agent.
Two immigration advocacy groups reported that the deceased man was authorized to work in the U.S. and held a Social Security number. The shooting occurred shortly after Platner ended his campaign amid controversies and allegations of sexual misconduct.
Seven Democrats are vying for the nomination, which will be determined by approximately 600 delegates at a convention on July 25. Republican Senator Susan Collins called for a full investigation into the shooting, and later confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General is overseeing the investigation in coordination with the FBI.