WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Democratic members of Congress are demanding answers about vetting and training of immigration enforcement agents after it was disclosed that this week in Maine had a history of mental health issues and violent behavior.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that , 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.
The AP reached out to congressional leaders and several key lawmakers of both major political parties for response.
The top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, said Brouillette鈥檚 history of violence and mental health issues and the death in Biddeford, Maine, 鈥渄irectly call into question the supposed vetting and training ICE does of its recruits.鈥�
鈥淭his senseless tragedy must be investigated and the officer responsible should be taken off our streets and face justice for his actions,鈥� Thompson said in a statement to the AP.
Brouillette didn鈥檛 respond to text messages or an email seeking comment, but three relatives who said they had spoken to him since the shooting, including an ex-wife and a daughter, said he told them he acted in self-defense.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who led of the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year as Democrats tried to , said the consequences of failing to put guardrails on ICE are now being measured in lives.
President Donald Trump’s administration “rushed 12,000 agents onto our streets without ensuring they were fit to carry a badge and a gun 鈥� and Republicans gave this rogue agency vast power and no accountability,鈥� Schumer said in a statement. 鈥淭hey empowered ICE. Now they must work with us to prevent more killings.鈥�
The report on Brouillette鈥檚 troubling past comes as the Department of Homeland Security has been on , fueled by vast sums of money from Republicans in Congress to help carry out Trump鈥檚 mass deportation agenda. It raises about the department’s efforts to quickly hire, vet, train and dispatch recruits who are being sent to patrol communities across America.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the Republican chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee, referred back to her prior statement that 鈥渁n impartial investigation into the shooting in Biddeford needs to proceed, as the details surrounding this tragedy are important.鈥�
earlier that it is 鈥渆xtremely unfortunate鈥� that the agent did not have a body-worn camera.
The senator ensured $20 million for expanded use of body-worn cameras and $2 million for de-escalation training as part of the Homeland Security funding bill that Congress approved to .
鈥淭he Democratic government shutdown delayed enactment and implementation of these important safety measures,鈥� she said.
At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration agents since Trump launched the crackdown after retaking office, including 25-year-old Johan Sebasti谩n Dur谩n Guerrero, the Colombian national who was shot and killed by Brouillette on Monday while in his car near his home in the coastal Maine city of Biddeford.
鈥淭his bombshell is absolutely appalling 鈥� exactly the intolerable danger that we feared as a result of arrest quotas and inadequate training,鈥� said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., in a statement to the AP.
鈥淭his agent clearly should never have had a gun 鈥� let alone one provided to him by the United States government. And now a man is dead. I鈥檓 going to continue demanding answers and accountability,鈥� he said.
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said Trump and his administration have encouraged ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection 鈥渢o enter and terrorize our communities, even if those agents are untrained, improperly vetted, or lack experience.鈥�
鈥淭he killing of Johan Sebasti谩n Dur谩n Guerrero was horrifying,鈥� he said in a statement to the AP, 鈥渁nd there must be a credible, independent, and transparent investigation so that those responsible are held accountable.鈥�
The Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Andrew Garbarino of New York, referred to earlier in the week that the department brief lawmakers from both parties on ICE鈥檚 use of force policies and the status of body camera deployment.
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