BIDDEFORD — U.S. Senate hopeful Dr. Nirav Shah called out Republican Sen. Susan Collins on Tuesday for votes to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and to confirm top Department of Homeland Security leadership.
Shah, one of several Democrats vying for the right to challenge Collins in November, stood on the sidewalk outside Collins’ office, just a few blocks away from where ICE agents shot and killed Joan Sebastian Guerrero, 26, of Biddeford on Monday.
“As we grieve, we must also demand answers and accountability,” Shah said. “This lawlessness did not appear or occur in a vacuum. It is the direct result of a rogue federal agency running completely wild, operating with a total lack of transparency and complete impunity.”
Shah criticized Collins for supporting funding bills in January, April and June and for confirming former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and current DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
In response, Collins’ spokesperson Blake Kernen said Collins has negotiated funds for body cameras and de-escalation training. In addition, she’s increased by 17% funds for investigations into the types of incidents that occurred Monday in Biddeford.
“It’s unfortunate that Dr. Shah is using a tragedy to further his political agenda,” Kernen said.
Collins’ office also released a statement Tuesday saying she’s asked Mullin to step down enforcement efforts in Maine.
“While the investigation of the Biddeford shooting is not yet complete, it raises sufficient critical questions that I spoke with DHS Secretary Mullin last night and urged him to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops,” she said.
A day earlier, Collins released a statement saying that the DHS Inspector General out of Boston would lead the investigation into Monday’s shooting.
In January, Collins said ICE ended enhanced operations in Maine after she urged Noem to “reconsider its approach to immigration enforcement in the state.”
As Mainers continued to push for answers on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-1st District) told CNN News Central that it’s been hard to get good information about what happened.
“I think it’s because ICE doesn’t want to admit what a botched operation that this was, that this was a wrongly targeted person, and that a death occurred of an innocent man, or perhaps an innocent man,” she said. “We don’t know his immigration status, but somebody who was just going to work, and their death was witnessed by a three-year-old child.”
The Maine Republican Party also weighed in on Tuesday, urging Mainers to continue to support law enforcement and discouraging people from jumping to conclusions until an investigation has been completed.
“Law enforcement around the nation continues to deserve our respect and support as they put their lives on the line every single day for Americans,” party chairman Jim Deyermond said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of Joan Guerrero. We encourage all Mainers to avoid jumping to conclusions, and to remain civil and patient as this situation continues to develop.”
In a statement on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Jared Golden (D-2nd District), said in addition to the DHS Inspector General, the FBI and Maine Office of the Attorney General are also investigating.
“As with any deadly use force by law enforcement, what we need now is thorough, independent investigation that establishes the facts necessary for accountability,” he said.
He also noted that ICE officers in Biddeford were not wearing body cameras, although Congress directed funds for the equipment in April.
“DHS needs to make this a priority,” he said.
Shah is one of several Democrats who will compete at a July 25 convention in Bangor for the right to take on Collins in November.
He said Tuesday that most of his competitors hold similar positions on ICE and he called for it to be abolished.
“My view is that the rot goes to the core and reform is impossible in this situation,” he said.
Shah said he would work to repeal the legislation that created the agency and start from scratch. The new agency would focus on “criminality at the border, drug trafficking, rather than picking up a 26-year-old who had a work permit and a Social Security card and didn’t even have the warrant that was being issued.”
In response to calls for abolishing ICE, Kernen, the Collins’ spokeswoman, said the agency does more than immigration enforcement.
“Anyone calling for abolishing ICE is calling for the agency to cease critical efforts to combat human trafficking, child exploitation, forced labor and international drug smuggling,” she said.