Fierce disagreement broke out on the debate stage on Tuesday evening as Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, defended her record against accusations that she had enabled the death of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Troy Jackson, her Democratic opponent, argued Collins had facilitated the deadly encounter on the three-month anniversary of the incident by funding what he described as a “rogue agency.”
“Look, Senator Collins paid for the bullets and at Donald Trump’s command. Now she wants credit for not pulling the trigger,” Jackson said, referring to the roughly $70 billion in funding for immigration enforcement agencies included in the Secure America Act, a party-line bill that extended provisions for the agency through the end of Trump’s term.
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“That’s the choice on this stage. A senator who helps Donald Trump hurt Maine then tells us how concerned she is, or somebody who will stand up against him before another family in Maine has to pay the price.”
Guerrero’s shooting has become a flash point in Trump’s immigration enforcement push, especially in the Maine Senate race where Democrats have used his death to illustrate broader critiques of Collins: that her occasional willingness to break with the majority of the GOP hasn’t meaningfully curbed the administration’s policies. But at the debate on Tuesday evening, the third between Collins and Jackson, Collins pushed back on the narrative, arguing that her power as a Republican senator has been key to implementing a handful of safeguards on an agency that she described as critical to American safety.
“After the Biddeford shooting, I called the Secretary of Homeland Security, [and] met with the acting director and suggested that they prioritize Maine for receipt of these body-worn cameras. And they did. And every ICE agent in the state of Maine and across the country now has the body-worn cameras,” Collins said at the debate on Tuesday.
“I increased by 17% the budget for the independent Office of Inspector General,” Collins added.
Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian national, was fatally shot in Biddeford on July 13 when he tried to flee ICE officers in a vehicle during an operation targeting an illegal immigrant with a final order of removal, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Guerrero was not the target of the operation.
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“The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon. The driver of the vehicle was struck and emergency services were immediately contacted. He passed away from his injuries,” DHS said in a statement at the time.
In Jackson’s estimation, the moment is emblematic of what he described as an agency out of control.
“That is why I believe that this agency is just a rogue agency that’s doing Donald Trump’s bidding,” Jackson said.
“I do believe it’s important to get rid of it and take that money and prioritize it into existing law enforcement that actually people believe in.”
Like many progressives, Jackson has argued that the agency is beyond the scope of reform, sharing the view of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The group, which backed Jackson in his gubernatorial bid earlier this year before he became a candidate for Senate, calls the agency “a violent and illegitimate agency.”
Jackson has shared almost that exact framing, similarly stating that ICE “is not legitimate law enforcement,” in a debate from last Thursday.
Collins disagrees.
On Tuesday, she argued that the agency, although flawed, serves an important role in American law enforcement, pointing out that its role overlaps with many other forms of law enforcement.
“It investigates child trafficking, human trafficking and general child exploitation: drug smuggling, international cartels, financial scams. It recently helped shut down a child pornography ring in the state of Maine. I don’t think any of us wants to go back to the days of completely open, uncontrolled borders. That is dangerous for us,” Collins argued.
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“I think what happened is far too many ICE officers were hired and deployed without adequate vetting and training. But let us not forget the important work that ICE does, which is why it should be reformed and not abolished, as Troy has said.”
Having secured their parties’ respective nominations, Collins and Jackson will face off in the state’s Nov. 3 general election.
Elaine Mallon contributed to this report.
