Trump overrides Collins' pledge to halt ICE traffic stops, complicating her reelection

Not long after a federal agent killed a Colombian immigrant in Maine last week, Senator Susan Collins rushed to declare that she had privately spoken with Donald Trump's Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Collins credited herself with persuading Mullin to end the vehicle stops by agents that have resulted in numerous killings on U.S. streets, including the deaths of American citizens.

Only hours later, Trump abruptly reversed Mullin's decision, decreeing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement's controversial tactics would continue. "We CANNOT give up one of ICE's most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!" Trump raged. The stops resumed, undercutting Collins's effort to project deep concern about the killing.

Political Fallout for Collins

The incident highlights how Trump, through his handling of the ICE shooting, is inadvertently complicating Collins's path to reelection. The shooting poses a significant problem for Collins:

• It underscores her votes to fund Trump's paramilitary forces
• It highlights her refusal to rein in abuses of power
• It localizes a national issue that could mobilize Maine voters against her
• It allows Democrats to seize the offensive on traditionally Republican turf

"Susan Collins is directly responsible for handing ICE a blank check," Devon Murphy-Anderson, executive director of the Maine Democratic Party, told me. "This is front and center now in our communities. And we are going to hold her accountable in November."

Details of the Shooting

Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero was gunned down after agents boxed in his vehicle outside his home in Biddeford. His three-year-old daughter was seen crying after the incident. He has been widely described as a devoted father and hard worker who was in the country legally.

Durán Guerrero was not the intended target of the enforcement operation. The agent who pulled the trigger, David Brouillette, has been described by relatives as mentally ill, violent, dangerous, and a domestic abuser.

Questions About ICE Recruitment

The incident raises grave questions about how ICE is recruiting, as Trump and Stephen Miller rapidly staff up their deportation force and authorize it to carry out violent operations on a mass scale. Democrats argue that Collins deserves severe censure and should be politically vulnerable on this issue.

Collins's Recent Votes

Democrats plan to highlight a little-noticed vote by Collins shortly before the shooting. In early June, Collins opposed an amendment offered by Democratic Senator Alex Padilla that would have required ICE agents to wear active body cameras on duty and made footage available to Congress. The amendment was defeated on party lines amid passage of $70 billion in new ICE funding, which Collins voted for despite lacking guardrails against future abuses.

These votes could now create significant problems for Collins, as the ICE agents involved in the killing of Durán Guerrero were not wearing body cameras.