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Democratic lawmakers are pressing for a reappraisal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hiring practices and continuing calls for an investigation into nan circumstances surrounding nan sidesplitting of an migrant successful Maine by 1 of nan agency’s officers aft news media reported allegations of past convulsive and threatening behaviour by nan officer, according to his family members.
The Associated Press, nan Portland Press Herald and National Public Radio (NPR) each identified nan serviceman successful mobility arsenic David Brouillette, accusation that nan publications attributed to his family. The outlets besides reported allegations that Brouillette had a history of intelligence wellness issues and had purportedly subjected his ex-wife to violent, threatening behavior.
The Guardian has not been capable to independently verify nan allegations aliases corroborate Brouillette’s engagement successful nan 13 July shooting decease successful Biddeford, Maine, of Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has not identified Brouillette. And messages near astatine telephone numbers associated pinch him were not instantly returned.
Nonetheless, Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi congressman and nan apical Democrat connected nan US House’s homeland information committee, told nan AP successful a connection that nan officer’s alleged convulsive history “directly telephone into mobility nan expected vetting and training ICE does of its recruits”.
The nonstop circumstances of Guerrero’s sidesplitting remained unclear connected Friday. But nan decease of nan 25-year-old Colombian man has drawn ICE caller disapproval successful ample portion because it had not been a week since an serviceman of nan agency fatally changeable Lorenzo Salgado Araujo successful Texas.
Beside nan killings of Guerrero and Salgado, location were 2 other subsequent, ICE-related deaths wrong nan aforesaid week that besides led nan nationalist and lawmakers to telephone for independent investigations of DHS, which has been carrying retired nan White House’s fierce anti-immigrant campaign. There had besides been respective different group changeable to decease by national migration officers making love backmost to nan commencement of Donald Trump’s 2nd presidency successful early 2025.
“This senseless calamity must beryllium investigated, and nan serviceman responsible should beryllium taken disconnected our streets and look justness for his actions,” Thompson added successful his statement.
In consequence to nan AP’s reporting astir Brouillette, an X post attributed from apical US Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer likewise criticized nan Trump management for its wide hiring of thousands of ICE officers to thief transportation retired its wide deportation goals.
Schumer, of New York, accused nan Trump administration of rushing 12,000 agents “on to our streets without ensuring they were fresh to transportation a badge and a gun”. The president and his Republican friends past “gave this rogue agency immense powerfulness and nary accountability”, Schumer continued, arguing that neither Trump nor his statement tin “disown nan deadly consequences” of that attack to ICE.
The AP reported that it obtained a voicemail that Brouillete was alleged to person near his ex-wife, Ashley, successful precocious 2025, astir nan clip he joined ICE.
“Do I deliberation that you should person your … pharynx cuts aliases should person had them cut?” says nan voicemail, a signaling of which NPR aired connected Friday. “Yep.”
Brouillette was first identified arsenic nan alleged shooter successful nan Guerrero lawsuit by nan Portland Press Herald. Then nan AP and NPR released reports of their ain pinch Brouillette’s identity.
Brouillette was reported to beryllium a subject seasoned and erstwhile constabulary serviceman earlier being hired by ICE successful 2025. A time aft nan deadly shooting, nan Atlantic reported that nan serviceman who killed Guerrero had been precocious hired by nan agency.
DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis said to nan AP, “We will ne'er corroborate aliases contradict attempts to dox our rule enforcement officers.” But Bis claimed nan serviceman successful mobility has astir a decade of national rule enforcement experience.
Guerrero’s survivors see a three-year-old girl and nan child’s mother, his partner.
