PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
July 13, 2026
Contact: press@alianzaamericas.org / (773) 638-4278
The death of Joan Sebastian Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian man, at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Biddeford, Maine, took place less than a week ago after the shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Texas. Both were Latin American men who were not specific targets of removal orders, and who were driving when they died at the hands of ICE agents without body cameras driving unmarked vehicles.
Once more, another life lost in the hands of ICE Agents. Today, we mourn the life of Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Maine. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, loved ones, and community, who now join the growing number of families grieving because of an inadequate immigration enforcement system. These unexplained shootings are the result of racial profiling and the lack of proper training for ICE agents, who are not prepared to stop a car, other than by shooting the driver. These actions are the outcome of racist and xenophobic political attacks and continued pressure to fulfill arbitrary arrest quotas.
A person's immigration status should never cost someone their life. Unmarked vehicles, individuals without uniforms, and proper warning systems like sirens result in the abuse of power that leads to innocent deaths. Congress has failed repeatedly as it has funded ICE and Customs and Border Enforcement for immigration enforcement without meaningful guardrails, independent oversight, or enforceable accountability.
We will not remain silent. We call for a full, transparent, and independent investigation into the killing of Joan Sebastian Guerrero and for meaningful congressional oversight of ICE. At the same time, we must recognize that decades of policies—including the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA)—created the enforcement machinery this administration is now exploiting. Both political parties are responsible for the current situation, and it is in their hands to transform our immigration system into one centered on human dignity, justice, and accountability.
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Alianza Americas is a transnational network of migrant-led organizations in the United States. We advocate for social justice, equity, and human rights in the Americas.
