© picture alliance / newscom | BONNIE CASH
One person was killed in a shooting in Biddeford, in the U.S. state of Maine, presumably after a federal immigration agent fired at a car. According to eyewitnesses and local politicians, the incident took place early Monday morning.
The exact circumstances have not yet been confirmed. Authorities have not yet issued a full statement, but according to an eyewitness, an agent from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shot someone in a car, killing that person.
Two organizations advocating for immigrants’ rights stated in a joint statement that a 26-year-old Colombian man had been killed in the incident.
Neighbors also saw a woman on her knees and a child nearby. Local politicians, including Governor Janet Mills and Senator Susan Collins, called for a full and independent investigation.
The Biddeford Police Department stated that officers had been dispatched in response to a report of an incident involving ICE agents, but referred inquiries about the incident to ICE for further information.
The case is particularly sensitive because Maine has faced intensified federal immigration enforcement since the beginning of the year. According to The New York Times, the population of Biddeford, a working-class coastal town, now consists of about five percent immigrants who have revitalized the local economy by replacing workers from an aging population. The immigrants come mainly from Somalia, other African countries, and the Middle East, and, more recently, in increasing numbers from Latin America.
Picture: © picture alliance / newscom | BONNIE CASH