ICE officer vetting review follows deadly Maine shooting
Tom Homan says ICE internal affairs is reviewing vetting and training after a deadly Maine shooting involving officer David Brouillette.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
An ICE officer vetting review is under way after a deadly shooting in Maine raised questions about how immigration agents are screened and trained. Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s border czar, said Sunday that internal affairs is examining the vetting of Army veteran David Brouillette, the ICE officer involved in the shooting of a Colombian native, the Associated Press reported.
Brouillette’s relatives told AP that he had a record of serious mental health struggles and violent behavior. Homan said on CNN that if those allegations are accurate, Brouillette should not have passed the agency’s screening process. He said the officer’s training is also being reviewed.
Why is ICE officer vetting under review?
The review follows scrutiny of the Department of Homeland Security’s fast hiring, training and deployment of new Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to carry out Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda. The Maine shooting and another deadly shooting involving immigrants in Houston have put new attention on ICE tactics and oversight, according to AP.
DHS did not immediately respond Sunday to AP’s request for comment on the internal review. Homan identified ICE’s internal affairs section as the office handling the vetting review.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin ordered a temporary halt to vehicle stops after the Maine shooting, AP reported. Trump soon reversed that pause and pushed for the stops to continue, saying they are needed in his effort to detain and deport immigrants who lack current legal status.
What changes has ICE made after the shooting?
Homan said acting ICE Director David Venturella has directed officers to use body cameras during vehicle stops. Under the new instruction, Homan said, at least one body camera must be present at each vehicle stop so the encounter is recorded.
The body-camera directive addresses one of the questions raised after the Maine shooting. Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, has pressed for body-camera use and secured funding for it, according to AP. Collins had said it was extremely unfortunate that the officer involved in the shooting in her state was not wearing a camera.
What are lawmakers asking ICE?
Members of Congress from both parties have raised concerns about ICE training and tactics. Democrats questioned ICE officials during a closed-door briefing for the House Homeland Security Committee last week and said afterward that they still lacked answers, AP reported.
Lawmakers said they were told at the briefing that ICE officers had faced 56 excessive-force complaints. Of those, 32 were cleared, one was referred for disciplinary action, and the remaining cases are still being investigated. The lawmakers said they were also told that no discipline had yet been imposed.
The review places Brouillette’s case inside a wider debate over ICE’s expansion and accountability as the Trump administration seeks to increase immigration arrests. Homan’s comments indicate the agency is examining both the individual officer’s record and the procedures that allowed him to serve in the field.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.