Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree and several fellow Democratic representatives said their Republican counterparts are failing to use their investigative authority to probe the fatal Immigration and Customs Enforcement shooting of a Biddeford man last month.
Pingree led a field hearing on the shooting of Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero in Biddeford today.
In addition to testimony from local elected leaders, lawyers, and immigration advocates, the House members heard from Durán Guerrero's parents, who travelled to Maine from Colombia.
Omar Durán said his son's death has left an irreparable hole in their family.
"Our dream was always to be reunited and to hold each other again," he said, speaking in Spanish through an interpreter. "Today, that dream can no longer come true."
In her opening statement, Pingree noted that Durán Guerrero was not the original target of the operation that ended in his death, and that his roommate - the person agents were apparently seeking - was also not subject to a final removal order.
"If ICE cannot accurately determine a person's immigration status or circumstance before taking enforcement action, that is a profound failure of competence and accountability," Pingree said.
Pingree and her colleagues said Durán Guerrero's death was the direct result of the Trump administration's mass deportation push and failure to properly vet immigration agents. She criticized House Republicans for refusing to hold official oversight hearings on ICE killings.
Representative Bennie Thompson, ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security committee, vowed to conduct an official investigation into the shooting if Democrats retake majority control in November.
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey meanwhile said his office continues to investigate the shooting.
Maine law says the AG's office is responsible for investigating deadly use of force by law enforcement and presenting findings to the Maine Deadly Force Review Panel.
In a statement on Monday, Frey said the panel can then make recommendations but does not have jurisdiction over the Department of Homeland Security.
He said the Trump administration or Congress will be responsible for answering any questions that arise from the review.
