News release from Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition:

Maine’s Immigrant Community Responds to ICE Shooting in Biddeford

July 13, 2026 / By Mufalo

For Immediate Release, July 13, 2026

Contacts:

Mufalo Chitam, Executive Director, MIRC, mufaloc@maineimmigrantrights.org,

Crystal Cron, Executive Director, Presente! Maine, ccron@presentemaine.org,

Biddeford, ME — The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente! Maine are devastated and outraged by the death of a 26-year-old Colombian man during a shooting involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Biddeford on the morning of July 13, 2026.

Presente! confirmed that the young man was authorized to work in the United States and had been issued a Social Security number. He was a member of our community, a neighbor, and a human being whose life was cut tragically short. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, loved ones, and everyone now grieving this unimaginable loss.

A 26-year-old man came to Maine to live and work, and now his family is mourning his death following an incident involving ICE. This is devastating, enraging, and unacceptable. His loved ones deserve answers, and the public deserves a full and transparent account of what happened.

The shooting itself was not reported through MIRC’s Immigrant Defense Hotline. However, calls received in the immediate aftermath reported additional ICE activity elsewhere in the area. It is deeply disturbing that immigration enforcement activity appeared to continue even as authorities responded to a fatal incident involving the agency. At a moment when a person had just lost his life, and an investigation had barely begun, members of our community were still reporting ICE activity and fearing that others could be detained or harmed.

“Our community is taking immediate action to protect and care for this family that has been shattered by state violence, said Presente Executive Director Crystal Cron. “To say we are heartbroken does not convey the depth of the exhaustion, terror, or grief we are feeling. We will not let this death be reduced to a footnote in this administration’s enforcement statistics. There is no freedom until everyone is free.

“Our communities are hurting…” said MIRC Executive Director Mufalo Chitam. “Today, a 26-year-old member of our community is dead following an incident involving ICE. We are grieving, we are furious, and we will not allow his death to be treated as routine or inevitable. How much more harm must our communities endure before those with the power to act acknowledge that this has gone too far?”

State and federal authorities are investigating, and many critical facts have not yet been publicly established. MIRC calls for a prompt, independent, and transparent investigation; a full accounting of every agency and officer involved; the preservation of all body-camera footage, surveillance footage, communications, and other evidence; and the timely public release of findings consistent with the dignity and privacy of the victim and his family. ICE must not be allowed to investigate itself or control the public narrative surrounding a death in which its personnel or operations were involved. We also call on our elected officials to invest in a fair, functional, and humane immigration system, not further expansion of immigration enforcement, and to strengthen protections that prevent local resources from being diverted toward federal immigration enforcement.

While information continues to develop, we strongly encourage community members to exercise caution, avoid active law-enforcement areas, and contact MIRC’s Immigrant Defense Hotline. We also ask the public not to circulate unverified claims that could create further fear or interfere with efforts to establish what happened.

People across Maine have already endured escalating detentions, aggressive enforcement activity, and the fear of being taken from their homes, workplaces, and families. Today, that escalation has ended in the loss of a young life.

MIRC stands with the victim’s family, Biddeford residents, our coalition members, and every community affected by immigration enforcement. We will continue supporting impacted community members, demanding answers, and sharing verified information as it becomes available.

News Release By The Audacity, July 13 2026:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JULY 13, 2026

EMERGENCY DEMONSTRATION 6 PM tonight IN ROCKLAND’S CHAPMAN PARK FOLLOWING ICE SHOOTING

Rockland —  In response to the shooting death of a young man with involvement by ICE agents this morning in Biddeford, Maine, organizers with The Audacity have announced plans for a demonstration at 6 PM in Chapman Park, Rockland. All people concerned at this untimely death with ICE involvement are invited to attend.  The purpose of the nonviolent demonstration is to make a statement against ICE violence, to stand in solidarity with immigrants in Maine, and to demand answers through a transparent, independent investigation with accountability for those responsible.          

“There is much at this point we do not know,” said James Cook, an organizer with The Audacity.  “But according to the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, the young man who was shot and killed due to ICE involvement was authorized to work in the United States and had a job, a social security number, and a family. He was a human being with rights whose death deserves a full investigation independent of the groups responsible for coverups in prior ICE shootings.”

The Audacity is a local group of people in Knox County who gathered in January 2025 to plan and implement creative collective action to counter the erosion of democracy, equity, and inclusion in the United States.  The group works together across differences in philosophy, values, and methods within a broad commitment to nonviolent resistance.  All members of the public who support democracy and who oppose the current turn toward bigotry, corruption, exclusion, and authoritarianism are welcome to join the group online at audacitycat.com or by emailing contact@audacitycat.com.