Colombian President Gustavo Petro addresses supporters during a rally in Ibague, Colombia, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (Fernando Vergara/Associated Press)
Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday issued a strongly worded statement calling the killing of a young Colombian man by federal immigration agents in Biddeford an “asesinato” — a word which translates to assassination, or murder.
Petro said he expects to hear from President Donald Trump about the incident, according to a translation of his statement on X from its original Spanish.
“What has happened in Maine is a murder of a Colombian, a Latin American, at the hands of the U.S. government,” Petro wrote. “They killed him for believing him to be an inferior being without rights, and as a person, he had all the rights conferred on a human being simply for being born, and he was a citizen with rights in the U.S.”
Lo que ha ocurrido en Maine, es un asesinato a un colombiano, latinoamericano en manos del gobierno de los EEUU.
Lo mataron por creerlo un ser inferior y sin derechos y como persona tenía todos los derechos que a un ser humano se le confieren solo por nacer y era ciudadano con… https://t.co/3jPnwbpBen
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) July 14, 2026
“I expect from the Colombian foreign service in the U.S. the fastest legal and human action so that the murderers pay for their homicide,” he continued.
Petro included with his statement video footage from the aftermath of the deadly shooting Monday involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Embassy of Colombia on Tuesday identified the victim as Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero.
He was not the intended target of federal immigration agents, according to state officials. A federal officer fatally shot Guerrero, who was allegedly driving “in the direction of the officer” in an attempt to flee, according to the Office of the Maine Attorney General.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Petro’s statement.
This is a developing story.
Rachel covers state government and politics for the Portland Press Herald. It’s her third beat at the paper after stints covering City Hall and education. Prior to her arrival at the Press Herald in…
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