White House border czar Tom Homan said the vetting and training processes for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents are “under review” after revelations that the agent who allegedly shot and killed an immigrant in Maine had been accused of domestic violence.
Homan said law enforcement agencies routinely review their training operations and ICE would evaluate “some additional training” as well as find out what may have gone wrong in vetting the ICE agent in Maine.
“Did we have that information? Did we not have that information?” Homan said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union. “If that was factual, he would have an almost impossible time to pass vetting.”
ICE has not officially identified the agent who shot and killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian man, in Biddeford, Maine, on July 13 — though The Associated Press and Boston Globe have reported that he is 37-year-old David Brouillette, who had previously served in the Army.
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Brouillette’s family members and ex-wives have accused him of violent behavior and said he has a long history of psychiatric issues, several news outlets reported. If the accusations against Brouillette are true, Homan told CNN, he never should have cleared the vetting process.
“If this person had that type of history, it would have been a vetting issue, and it should have been brought to the attention of those who make those decisions,” Homan said.
The shooting in Maine happened less than a week after another fatal shooting in Houston where an ICE agent killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national.
Homan told CNN he did not “know specifically” the status of the officers involved in the shootings in Maine and Texas, but per ICE policy “they’re usually put on administrative leave pending the investigation.”
Durán Guerrero and Salgado Araujo were both shot during vehicle stops. After the shootings, ICE temporarily paused most vehicle stops to review the enforcement tactic, but within a day, President Donald Trump directed the agency to resume traffic enforcement actions.
Homan said “changes have been made” to vehicle-stop procedures after acting ICE Director David Venturella gave officers new guidance on body-worn cameras. The Department of Homeland Security recently signed contracts for over $30 million to purchase the cameras. Venturella has also added training for officers, according to Homan.
“David Venturella sent an instruction out that he wants at least one body camera on those vehicle stops, so we have everything on video,” Homan told CNN.
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