Kamala Harris demands ICE probe after three deaths in space of a week

Kamala Harris has called for an investigation into America's controversial ICE agents following the deaths of three people in the space of a week.

The former vice president said "anyone responsible for wrongdoing must be held accountable".

She posted on X about the killing of Colombian national Joan Sebastian Guerrero by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Maine. Ms Harris said the victim's killing "was witnessed by his three-year-old daughter in her Bluey pyjamas", and he "should still be alive".

The Democrat added: "This is the second time in a week that ICE agents have killed someone who – by their own admission – was not the subject of their operation."

Mr Guerrero was fatally shot when an ICE agent, who was "fearing for public safety", opened fire on his vehicle, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said. It said the driver had tried to flee agents attempting to pull him over.

DHS said on X that the incident in Biddeford around 7am local time (12pm UK time) on Monday happened as ICE officers were watching the home of someone they thought was in the US illegally and had a final order of removal.

On Monday night, the spokesperson for a Maine senator said the driver who was shot dead was the wrong target.

Immigration campaigners have said he was authorised to work in the US. Colombian President Gustavo Petro labelled the shooting a targeted killing "at the hands of the US government".

It has sparked outrage in Biddeford and the wider area. On Tuesday, hundreds of protesters gathered outside an ICE detention centre in Scarborough, which is between Biddeford and Portland.

Three ICE-related deaths in a week

Mr Guerrero's death on Monday came six days after an ICE agent in Houston, Texas, shot dead a 52-year-old man, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, following a traffic stop during an immigration enforcement operation.

He was not the target of the operation, a DHS official has said.

ICE said the Mexican national, who had lived in the US illegally for over three decades, rammed a law enforcement vehicle with his van and attempted to run down an officer who fired in self-defence.

On Tuesday, a 28-year-old man was killed by a tractor trailer while running from an encounter with ICE personnel and other federal agents in Florida.

The spate of deadly incidents has brought renewed scrutiny of the role of ICE, which has been greatly expanded under Donald Trump's administration.

Read more:
What is ICE and what powers do its agents have?

ICE has told officers to suspend most vehicle stops around the country, two sources told Reuters, in light of the latest killings, which have taken the number of people shot dead during immigration enforcement operations across the US since January 2025 to at least seven.

In January this year, 37-year-old US citizen Renee Good was shot dead in her car by ICE agents in Minneapolis, sparking demonstrations across the country.

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents two weeks later.

Asked about the suspension of traffic stops, an ICE spokesperson said: "We are ‌always evaluating our procedures to keep our officers safe and criminals off our streets. We will not disclose or discuss law enforcement tactics."

(c) Sky News 2026: Kamala Harris demands ICE probe after three deaths in space of a week