President Donald Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, said Sunday that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer involved in the fatal shooting of a man in Maine should not have been hired if allegations about his past conduct are confirmed, as federal investigators examine both the July 13 shooting and whether the agency's hiring process failed. The comments come amid parallel criminal and administrative investigations into the death of 25-year-old Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, while lawmakers press for greater scrutiny of ICE recruitment standards.
Speaking during a television interview, Homan acknowledged that the allegations reported against the officer, if accurate, would raise serious questions about the agency's background screening procedures. The officer has been identified by several news organizations as David Brouillette, though the Department of Homeland Security has not publicly confirmed his identity.
Asked whether someone with the reported allegations should have been allowed to serve as an ICE agent, Homan responded unequivocally. "No, if those ... are facts ... I don't think he should ever have cleared vetting," he said.
Homan explained that investigators are now reviewing whether information about the officer's background was available before he joined ICE and, if so, why it did not prevent his hiring. He said the agency's administrative review is examining whether the screening process functioned as intended or whether critical information was overlooked.
"When they hire somebody, they put them through a vetting process and look at all that stuff. So I know, based on that information, that's part of the ongoing investigation," Homan said. "How ... did the vetting process fail? Was that information not available? Did they not know?"
He added that the administrative inquiry is also focused on determining whether decision-makers had access to the relevant information at the time of hiring. "If that was factual, he would have an almost impossible time to pass vetting," Homan said.
Public scrutiny intensified after two women previously married to Brouillette publicly described what they alleged were abusive relationships. One of them, Lucinda Brouillette, said her former husband exhibited a "persistent pattern of abuse, intimidation, manipulation, fear and control" during their marriage.
Lucinda Brouillette also directly addressed the fatal shooting investigation, stating, "If you were to ask me whether I believe David Brouillette is capable of this level of violence, my answer is unequivocally yes." Homan declined to discuss the allegations in detail because of the ongoing investigations but reiterated that such information, if substantiated, should have affected the hiring 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. "We will see. It's all being reviewed. We will see where it lies."
The Maine shooting has also fueled criticism from congressional Democrats, who argue the case exposes broader concerns about ICE's recruitment standards and accountability. Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson, the senior Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the allegations surrounding the officer's background "directly call into question the supposed vetting and training ICE does of its recruits."
The controversy extends beyond the officer's hiring history to questions surrounding enforcement practices. Neither the fatal shooting of Durán Guerrero in Maine nor the separate fatal shooting of Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during an ICE operation in Texas earlier this month was captured by body camera footage. Following those incidents, Homan announced that ICE officers will now be required to wear body cameras during vehicle stops.
Investigators are also continuing to examine the Texas shooting. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said laboratory testing determined that a white substance recovered from the van involved in the incident tested negative for narcotics or illegal drugs, despite an FBI search warrant application describing it as consistent with methamphetamine. Relatives of Salgado Araujo have maintained the substance was an electrolyte salt mixture commonly used by construction workers to remain hydrated in extreme heat.
