Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson argued over immigration enforcement and the role of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a debate Tuesday evening in Maine. Jackson accused Collins of enabling the fatal shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero by supporting federal funding for immigration enforcement. Collins defended ICE’s work while saying the agency needs reform and better safeguards.
Jackson referred to roughly $70 billion for immigration enforcement agencies included in the Secure America Act, described in the source report as a party-line measure extending agency provisions through the end of President Donald Trump’s term. He accused Collins of helping fund an agency he called “rogue,” and said he wanted to redirect its funding to existing law enforcement. Jackson also argued that ICE should be abolished, rather than reformed.
The debate was the candidates’ third. Guerrero’s death has become part of the campaign dispute over Collins’ record and whether her occasional breaks with fellow Republicans have meaningfully constrained the administration’s immigration policies.
Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian national, was shot and killed in Biddeford on July 13, according to the Department of Homeland Security. DHS said the incident occurred during an operation targeting an immigrant who had a final order of removal. Guerrero was not the target, the source report said. According to DHS, a vehicle tried to flee, an officer fired because of concerns for public safety, and emergency services were contacted. Guerrero later died of his injuries.
Collins said she contacted the homeland security secretary after the shooting and met with the acting ICE director. She said she urged the department to prioritize Maine for body-worn cameras and that ICE agents in Maine and nationwide now have them. Collins also said she increased the budget for the independent Office of Inspector General by 17 percent.
She argued that ICE carries out work important to public safety, citing investigations involving child and human trafficking, child exploitation, drug smuggling, international cartels and financial scams. Collins also said the agency helped shut down a child pornography ring in Maine. She said ICE should be reformed, not abolished, and argued that officers had been hired and deployed without adequate vetting and training.
Jackson’s criticism reflects a broader position that ICE is beyond reform. The Democratic Socialists of America, which supported Jackson in an earlier gubernatorial bid, has described the agency as violent and illegitimate, according to the source report. Jackson has likewise said ICE is not legitimate law enforcement.
The candidates are their parties’ nominees for the Nov. 3 general election in Maine. The debate placed their opposing views of ICE, its funding and the response to Guerrero’s death at the center of the Senate contest.
