ICE officer in Maine killing faced past abuse allegations, reports say
Relatives told AP and CBS News that David Brouillette had a history that should have raised doubts before he was hired by ICE.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Reports from The Associated Press and CBS News say the ICE officer who fatally shot Joan Sebastian Duran Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, had a history of violent behavior and mental health struggles that relatives say should have raised concerns. The accounts are bringing fresh scrutiny to federal immigration hiring as ICE expands under President Donald Trump’s deportation push.
David Brouillette shot and killed Duran Guerrero on Monday near Duran Guerrero’s home in Biddeford, according to Al Jazeera and The Associated Press. The shooting followed the July 7 death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was killed by an ICE agent in Houston, Texas, according to Al Jazeera.
On Thursday, AP and CBS News reported that members of Brouillette’s family described mental health issues dating back to his youth and questioned whether he should have been allowed to serve as an armed federal immigration officer. His ex-wife, Ashley Brouillette, told CBS News she did not understand how he continued to get jobs involving firearms.
“He’s a danger to society. He’s a danger to people and to himself,” Ashley Brouillette told CBS News.
According to AP and CBS News, Ashley Brouillette divorced him in 2009 after alleged physical abuse that began after she became pregnant with their daughter. In one account reported by AP and CBS News, and confirmed by Ashley Brouillette’s mother, Brouillette threw boiling water at her while she was holding the child.
Hiring under scrutiny
The reports have fed criticism from Democrats who say ICE and related agencies have lowered standards while adding personnel to support Trump’s immigration agenda. Trump has promised what he calls the largest deportation campaign in U.S. history, and ICE has increased staffing to meet the administration’s goals, according to Al Jazeera.
ICE said in January that its manpower had increased by 120 percent, with 12,000 new hires, according to Al Jazeera. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said those figures showed the administration had prioritized expansion over safety.
“The Trump administration rushed 12,000 agents onto our streets without ensuring they were fit to carry a badge and a gun,” Schumer said, according to Al Jazeera. He also accused Republicans of giving ICE broad power without adequate accountability.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said the reports about Brouillette showed the need for tighter oversight of ICE. In a statement to AP, Blumenthal said the case reflected the dangers Democrats had warned about from arrest quotas and inadequate training.
“This agent clearly should never have had a gun — let alone one provided to him by the United States government,” Blumenthal told AP. “And now a man is dead.”
Al Jazeera reported that at least 10 people have been killed in incidents involving ICE agents since Trump began his immigration crackdown. Critics cited by Al Jazeera have accused the campaign of using aggressive tactics and violating civil liberties.
The Maine shooting has now become part of a broader debate over how ICE screens, trains and supervises armed officers during a period of rapid growth. Federal officials have not provided details in the reports about how Brouillette was hired despite the allegations described by his relatives.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.