Internal review launched after relatives allege officer had history of mental health issues and violent behavior.
White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed Sunday that the vetting process for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer involved in the fatal shooting of a Colombian national in Maine is under internal review. The move follows revelations from the officer’s family to The Associated Press detailing a history of serious mental health struggles and violent conduct.
“If the allegations are true, I don’t think he should ever have cleared vetting,” Homan told CNN. The officer, identified as Army veteran David Brouillette, is the subject of multiple concurrent inquiries. “There’s several things under review,” Homan said. “The training is under review. I know this specific case, as far as the vetting, is under review by the internal affairs section.”
The scrutiny intensifies pressure on the Department of Homeland Security’s accelerated hiring and deployment of thousands of new ICE agents to execute President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda. Back-to-back deadly shootings involving immigrants in Maine and Houston have brought the agency’s training and tactics into sharp focus.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin initially ordered a pause on vehicle stops following the Maine incident, but President Trump quickly countermanded the directive, insisting the stops resume as a critical tool for locating and deporting immigrants without legal status. DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the internal review Sunday.
ICE Mandates Body Cameras for Vehicle Stops
Homan announced that acting ICE Director David Venturella has issued a new directive requiring body cameras to be active during all vehicle stops.
“Right now, on all vehicle stops, there’s at least one body camera on site to record the entire event,” Homan said. He added that Venturella “sent an instruction out that he wants at least one body camera on those vehicle stops, so we have everything on video.”
It remains unclear whether these measures will satisfy bipartisan congressional concerns regarding DHS training standards and operational tactics as the agency pushes to meet the administration’s mass deportation targets.
Lawmakers Demand Accountability
Concern spans both sides of the aisle. During a closed-door briefing before the House Homeland Security Committee last week, Democrats pressed ICE officials for details, leaving several members with more questions than answers.
Lawmakers were informed that 56 excessive force complaints have been lodged against ICE officers. Of those, 32 have been cleared and one referred for disciplinary action, though no discipline has been imposed to date. The remaining cases are still under investigation.
Meanwhile, Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has championed the body camera requirement and secured funding for the initiative. She called it “extremely unfortunate” that the officer involved in the shooting in her home state was not equipped with a camera at the time.
