‘You Took Her Dad’: ICE Kills Maine Man in Front of Daughter in Bluey Pajamas
The people of Biddeford, Maine, became the latest to experience the full horror of Trump's lethal immigration crackdown, while a judge in Florida rebuked the president's self-dealing.
On this day in 1798, President John Adams signed the Sedition Act, targeting “false, scandalous, or malicious writing” against the U.S. government. Hugely unpopular, the act expired in 1801 but left its mark on the never-ending battle between presidents and the free press.
Good morning, and welcome to Tuesday. Prem here, with today’s look at the news that matters as you start your day. Unfortunately, it’s hard to give too cheerful a greeting, given what happened yesterday in Biddeford, Maine.
In today’s ‘First Draft,’ we consider another day of pure horror in Donald Trump’s America. Joan Sebastian Guerrero, a 26-year-old man from Colombia, legally permitted to work in the U.S., was shot dead by an ICE agent looking for someone else. The administration blamed its victim. Of course it did. Witness accounts of the killing and its aftermath, of how the man’s wife and child saw themselves instantly bereaved, were heartbreaking. But these abominations demand we do not look away. This is the face of Trump’s regime.
In Florida, meanwhile, a judge excoriated Trump’s attempt to use $1.776 billion in taxpayer dollars to pay off his criminal cronies. In Iran, Trump’s illegal war cooked back up to flaming hell. Below, we cover it all.
‘I Watched a Wife Fall to Her Knees’
On Monday morning, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot and killed yet another person in broad daylight.
In Biddeford, Maine, ICE agents killed a 26-year-old man from Colombia.
The young man, identified by neighbors who spoke to the Portland Press Herald and an immigrant advocacy group as Joan Sebastian Guerrero, had work authorization in the U.S. and had been issued a Social Security number, the group said. Maine Senator Angus King revealed that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin admitted that Guerrero was not the target of a warrant.
King said Mullin claimed the ICE officer opened fire after the man tried to “weaponize” his vehicle against agents – a claim the Trump administration has repeatedly recited despite being debunked or undermined in other incidents. Later, DHS changed its story, saying the driver “attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon.”
Daniel Boucher, who lives near the site of the shooting, witnessed parts of what happened.