Lawmakers demand answers after 'bombshell' report of ICE officer shooting in Maine

By — Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/lawmakers-demand-answers-after-bombshell-report-of-ice-officer-shooting-in-maine Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Lawmakers demand answers after 'bombshell' report of ICE officer shooting in Maine Politics Jul 17, 2026 11:06 AM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic members of Congress demanded answers about Homeland Security's vetting and training of immigration enforcement agents after it was disclosed Thursday that the ICE officer involved in a deadly shooting this week in Maine had a history of mental health issues and violent behavior. The Associated Press reported that David Brouillette, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot a Colombian man in Maine, is an Army veteran who has struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood, according to several of his close relatives. AP report: ICE officer in Maine shooting has history of violent behavior, family and records say READ MORE: AP report: ICE officer in Maine shooting has history of violent behavior, family and records say The AP reached out to congressional leaders and several key lawmakers of both parties for response. The top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, said Brouillette's history of violence and mental health issues, as well as the death in Maine, "directly call into question the supposed vetting and training ICE does of its recruits." "This senseless tragedy must be investigated and the officer responsible should be taken off our streets and face justice for his actions," Thompson said in a statement to the AP. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who led a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year as Democrats tried to impose restraints on immigration enforcement operations, said the consequences of failing to put guardrails on ICE are now being measured in lives. "The Trump administration rushed 12,000 agents onto our streets without ensuring they were fit to carry a badge and a gun — and Republicans gave this rogue agency vast power and no accountability," Schumer said in a statement. "They empowered ICE. Now they must work with us to prevent more killings." The report on Brouillette's troubling past comes as the Department of Homeland Security has been on a hiring spree, fueled by vast sums from Republicans in Congress to help carry out President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda. It raises fresh questions about the department's efforts to quickly hire, vet, train and dispatch recruits who are being sent to patrol communities across America. READ MORE: Maine shooting and officer's background raise new questions about ICE's rapid hiring Sen. Susan Collins of Maine,