USA26 July, 20263 min read
Tom Homan Says ICE Vetting and Training Are Under Review After Maine Killing
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ICE vetting and training are under internal review after Maine shooting. Alleged history of violent behavior and domestic-violence accusations circulated about the agent.
Maine shooting vetting
White House border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that the vetting and training processes for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are “under review” after revelations tied to the agent who allegedly shot and killed an immigrant in Maine.
Homan told CNN’s “State of the Union” that “Did we have that information? Did we not have that information?” as part of an investigation into how the vetting process failed in the case involving Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian man in Biddeford, Maine, on July 13.
The Guardian reported Homan said he did not believe the ICE officer at the center of the Maine killing “should have ever cleared vetting,” while Newsweek said Homan warned the agent may never have cleared screening if domestic-violence and misconduct allegations are substantiated.
Homan also said ICE would evaluate “some additional training” and that per ICE policy officers involved in shootings are “usually put on administrative leave pending the investigation.”
Body cameras and scrutiny
Homan said “changes have been made” after acting ICE Director David Venturella issued new guidance on body-worn cameras, telling CNN that Venturella “sent an instruction out that he wants at least one body camera on those vehicle stops, so we have everything on video”. The Guardian reported that neither the fatal shooting in Maine nor another one involving an ICE officer in Texas earlier in July yielded body camera footage from officers, prompting Homan to announce the agency would require officers to wear body cameras during vehicle stops.
In the same CNN appearance, Homan said “There’s several things under review,” adding that “The training is under review” and that the specific case’s vetting is under review by the internal affairs section. Al Jazeera reported lawmakers’ concerns after back-to-back deadly shootings in Maine and Houston, including that Democrats pressed ICE officials during a closed-door briefing and were told there have been 56 complaints of excessive force against ICE officers, with 32 cleared and one referred for disciplinary action.
What’s at stake next
Homan said the Maine case is part of a broader review of hiring and training, telling CNN that “How did the vetting process fail? Was that information not available? Did they not know?” while also describing a separate administrative investigation on what happened.
The Guardian reported Homan said the vetting process should have flagged the officer if the abuse allegations were factual, adding “it would have been a vetting issue and it should have been brought to the attention of those who make those decisions.”
The Al Jazeera report framed the stakes around the Department of Homeland Security’s rush to hire, train and deploy thousands of new ICE officers for Trump’s immigration crackdown, after Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin ordered a pause in vehicle stops but Trump “almost immediately reversed course” and insisted the stops resume.
In the same coverage, Al Jazeera said Republican Senator Susan Collins pushed for body cameras and ensured funding for the effort, after she said it was “extremely unfortunate” that the officer involved in the shooting in her home state was not using a camera.