Congressional field hearing on Biddeford ICE killing
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree hosting Democratic colleagues in Biddeford for a hearing to learn more about the fatal shooting of Johan Sebastian Guerrero.
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree hosting Democratic colleagues in Biddeford for a hearing to learn more about the fatal shooting of Johan Sebastian Guerrero.
A Congressional hearing here in Maine hosted by Rep. Chellie Pingree with three other Democrats, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-MS, Rep. Katherine Clark, D-MA, and Rep. Troy Carter, D-LA, all members of the House Committee on Homeland Security. The hearing was focused on the fatal shooting of Johan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford last month.
Guerrero's parents traveling from Colombia to share what this loss means to them.
"Our dream was to always be reunited and to hold each other again, today that dream will not come true," Guerrero's father, Omar Duran, said.
"When his little daughter, our 3-year0-old granddaughter, asked for her daddy and why he doesn't come home from work," he added.
The committee also heard testimony from Biddeford Mayor Liam Lafountain, immigrant rights leaders, the Guerrero' family attorney and Gov. Janet Mills, who appeared to become emotional delivering her remarks.
"It has to end, and if ICE cannot be reined in and fundamentally reformed then it is time to abolish it," Mills said.
Lafountain telling the committee that Guerrero was part of the Biddeford community.
"He came to Biddeford to build a life. He worked multiple jobs and was raising his daughter here. He was one of us," Lafountain said.
During a press conference following the hearing, Pingree said it was held in Maine because Republicans, who have control of the House, would not hold one in Washington.
She also said that Guerrero was not the target of the immigration operation but his roommate was. Pingree said Guerrero's roommate also did not have a removal order from the federal government. She added that she has not confirmed this with the federal government, but read it in the Washington Post.
The Maine Attorney General's Office issuing a statement that it continues to "actively investigate" the shooting.
"Under Maine Law, the Attorney General’s Office has exclusive responsibility both for any criminal investigation of a homicide and for the use of deadly force by law enforcement acting in an official capacity," the press release from the AG's office said.
The attorney for the Guerrero family says there's no sign of a federal investigation in this case.
"We have not been contacted by a single federal agency," Ben Gideon said.
Now that all the testimony is on the record as part of a Congressional hearing, the members of Congress in Biddeford on Monday say they plan to take what they learned back to Washington and demand answers from the Trump Administration.
The Republican led House Committee on Homeland Security has not returned our email.