LOS ANGELES — The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) is calling on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to leave immigrant communities after federal agents fatally shot two people in less than a week, describing the incidents as part of a broader pattern of escalating violence.
In a recent press statement, CHIRLA said it “denounced today the second killing in less than a week of a 26-year-old neighbor, community member in Maine, at the hands of immigration federal agents terrorizing communities throughout the U.S.”
“The extrajudicial killing of another community member by ICE agents in Maine, just days after the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, is a devastating and unacceptable escalation of violence,” said CHIRLA Executive Director Angelica Salas. “These are not isolated incidents.”
“They reflect an immigration enforcement system that has become increasingly militarized, unaccountable, and willing to use deadly force against the very communities it is supposed to serve,” Salas added.
Salas further stated, “This is not public safety. This is not enforcement. It is state violence with the direct intent of terrorizing communities through fear, intimidation, and deadly violence. […] No one should have to wonder whether an encounter with a federal immigration agent will end in death.”
CHIRLA also called for increased monitoring and accountability regarding violent ICE incidents. “We demand a full, independent, and transparent investigation into these unjustified uses of force and accountability for every official responsible.”
She then urged ICE to leave these communities, stating, “Our communities deserve dignity, due process, and protection, not a system that treats human lives as disposable.”
Salas ended her statement by promising that CHIRLA will “continue to stand with the families of those lost and fight for an immigration system rooted in humanity, justice, and the fundamental belief that every person belongs and deserves to live without fear.”
The man was later identified as 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero. The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, or MIRC, and Presente! said they are “devastated and outraged” by his death.
“He was a member of our community, a neighbor, and a human being whose life was cut tragically short,” the organizations stated. “We extend our deepest condolences to his family, loved ones, and everyone now grieving this unimaginable loss.”
“A 26-year-old man came to Maine to live and work, and now his family is mourning his death following an incident involving ICE,” they added. “This is devastating, enraging, and unacceptable.”
The organizations also emphasized, “His loved ones deserve answers, and the public deserves a full and transparent account of what happened.”
“Today, a 26-year-old member of our community is dead following an incident involving ICE,” said MIRC Executive Director Mufalo Chitman. “We are grieving, we are furious, and we will not allow his death to be treated as routine or inevitable.”
“How much more harm must our communities endure before those with the power to act acknowledge that this has gone too far?” Chitman asked in the statement.
MIRC called for a “prompt, independent, and transparent investigation,” warning that ICE “must not be allowed to investigate itself or control the public narrative surrounding a death in which its personnel or operations were involved.”
MIRC said in the press release that the people of Maine have “already endured escalating detentions, aggressive enforcement activity, and the fear of being taken from their homes, workplaces, and families.”
Presente! Executive Director Crystal Cron said the family has been “shattered by state violence.”
“To say we are heartbroken does not convey the depth of the exhaustion, terror, or grief we are feeling,” Cron stated. “We will not let this death be reduced to a footnote in this administration’s enforcement statistics.”
MIRC concluded its statement by expressing support for the victim’s family, stating, “MIRC stands with the victim’s family, Biddeford residents, our coalition members, and every community affected by immigration enforcement.”
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