Democratic lawmakers are urging a review of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hiring practices and calling for an investigation into the killing of an immigrant in Maine by an ICE officer. The calls come after media outlets reported allegations of past violent and threatening behavior by the officer, identified as David Brouillette by the Associated Press, Portland Press Herald, and National Public Radio (NPR), based on information from his family.

Reports allege that Brouillette, a military veteran and former police officer hired by ICE in 2025, had a history of mental health issues and had subjected his ex-wife to violent, threatening behavior. The AP obtained a voicemail allegedly left by Brouillette to his ex-wife in late 2025, around the time he joined ICE.

The Guardian has not independently verified these allegations or confirmed Brouillette’s involvement in the July 13 shooting death of Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, has not publicly identified Brouillette. DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis told the AP that the agency “will never confirm or deny attempts to dox our law enforcement officers” but stated the officer in question has nearly a decade of federal law enforcement experience.

Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, criticized the alleged violent history of the officer, saying it “directly call[s] into question the supposed vetting and training ICE does of its recruits.”

The incident has intensified scrutiny of ICE, especially as it follows another fatal shooting by an ICE officer in Texas just days earlier involving Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.

Sources