Relatives of David Brouillette, the suspect who shot and killed a man in Maine, said the suspect had a history of violent crimes.
Published July 17, 2026
Reports have emerged that David Brouillette, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who shot and killed João Sebastian Duran Guerrero in the United States, was hired despite his troubled history of violence.
On Thursday, The Associated Press and CBS News published reports from Brouillette’s relatives that Brouillette had suffered from mental health issues since childhood. They questioned his suitability to serve as an ICE agent.
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“I don’t understand why he continues to work in a job where firearms are used,” his ex-wife Ashley Brouillette told CBS News. “He’s a danger to society. A danger to people and a danger to himself.” “And I don’t understand why he keeps getting away with it.”
The report draws new attention to the hiring practices of the federal immigration agency, which has faced criticism for relaxing standards to expand its workforce.
President Donald Trump has vowed to undertake the largest deportation campaign in U.S. history, and agencies such as ICE are on a hiring spree to meet the White House’s demands.
In January, ICE reported a 120 percent increase in its workforce, bringing the total to 12,000 new hires.
But Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said these statistics are evidence that the Trump administration is prioritizing expansion over public safety.
“The Trump administration pushed 12,000 employees onto the streets without checking to see if they could carry badges or guns,” Schumer said.
“Republicans have given this corrupt agency far too much power and no accountability.”
Brouillette is accused of fatally shooting Duran Guerrero, 25, near his home in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday. The incident occurred just days after the July 7 shooting death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by ICE agents in Houston, Texas.
At least 10 people have been killed in incidents involving ICE agents since President Trump began his immigration crackdown, which has been criticized for pursuing aggressive tactics and violating civil liberties.
Brouillette’s ex-wife divorced him in 2009 after she was accused of physically abusing him after she became pregnant with their daughter.
In one incident, described by Ashley and confirmed by her mother, Brouillette threw boiling water at her while she was holding her child.
Democrats quickly cited reports of Mr. Brouillette’s actions as evidence that more oversight of ICE and its sister agencies is needed.
“This bombshell is absolutely horrifying,” Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said in a statement to The Associated Press following the report. “This is exactly the intolerable danger we feared as a result of arrest quotas and inadequate training.”
“This agent clearly should not have owned a gun, let alone a gun issued to him by the United States government. And now a man is dead. I will continue to demand answers and accountability,” he added.
