One person killed in Maine shooting involving ICE, state lawmaker says

A ​person was killed on Monday in a shooting involving US immigration agents in Maine, a ​top state lawmaker said, days after a man was fatally shot by a US agent during a traffic stop in Texas.

"This morning a shooting occurred in Biddeford. A person was killed. ​ICE was ‌involved," Ryan Fecteau, the speaker of the Maine House of ⁠Representatives and a native of Biddeford, wrote on Facebook. "State Police and the Department of Public Safety are now on scene ‌to gather details and would expect the FBI to investigate as well."

Immigration and ⁠Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Department of Homeland Security officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Biddeford police did not comment and referred an inquiry to ​ICE, while the mayor did not immediately respond to a Reuters ‌request for comment.

Biddeford, a city of over 21,000 people, is located 15 miles south of Portland and 90 miles north of Boston.

Monday's incident comes six days after an ICE agent ‌fatally shot a man identified as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston during a traffic stop, sparking protests in the city's heavily ​Hispanic East End.

Watch moreUS: Salgado Araujo is mourned after fatal ICE shooting

'Why are you in Maine?'

Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine said in a video posted on social media that she was driving to Portland to catch a flight to Washington when she learned of the reported shooting.

She said she was seeking answers about the circumstances surrounding the shooting, including whether officers were wearing body cameras, adding, “More than anything else, I want to know, ‘Why are you in Maine?’”

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ICE had a significant presence in Maine earlier this year, which resulted in several large demonstrations against the agency.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, named the operation “Catch of the Day”, an apparent play on Maine’s seafood industry, just as it has done for other enforcement surges, like “Patriot” in Massachusetts, “Metro Surge” in Minnesota and “Midway Blitz” in Chicago.

Immigration officials said in late January that they had ceased “enhanced operations” in Maine after making hundreds of arrests. A Homeland Security spokesperson said at the time that some Maine arrests were of people “convicted of horrific crimes including aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and endangering the welfare of a child”. But court records painted a slightly different story: While some had felony convictions, others were detainees with unresolved immigration proceedings or who were arrested but never convicted of a crime.

The Trump administration's immigration crackdowns received widespread condemnation last winter after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota.

(FRANCE 24 with AP and Reuters)