The vetting of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer involved in the fatal shooting of a Colombian national in Maine is under internal review, US border czar Tom Homan said Sunday, following revelations about the agent’s history of mental health struggles and alleged violent behavior.
Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, Homan said that if the allegations against the officer are true, “I don’t think he should ever have cleared vetting.” He added that “there’s several things under review,” including the officer’s training and the case itself, which he said was being examined by the agency’s internal affairs section.
The officer, identified as Army veteran David Brouillette, had two ex-wives who accused him of abuse, according to reports, and relatives described a history of serious mental health difficulties. The disclosures have intensified scrutiny of how the Department of Homeland Security recruits, trains and deploys its rapidly expanding immigration enforcement workforce.
The Maine incident was followed by a second fatal shooting of an immigrant in Houston, drawing sharp attention to the rush to hire, train and field thousands of new ICE officers as part of the administration’s immigration crackdown.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin ordered a pause on vehicle stops after the Maine shooting. That directive was quickly reversed by President Donald Trump, who insisted the stops resume as what he called a necessary tool for locating and deporting individuals in the country without current legal status.
Homan said operational changes had since been introduced, noting that acting ICE director David Venturella issued a directive requiring body-worn cameras during vehicle stops. “Right now, on all vehicle stops, there’s at least one body camera on site to record the entire event,” he said.
The back-to-back shootings have added to a series of high-profile controversies surrounding the agency’s expanded operations, following earlier flashpoints including the tensions that prompted the administration to pull back a senior border official from Minneapolis.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the scope or timeline of the internal review.
The outcome of the review is expected to shape ongoing debate over hiring standards and oversight as the agency continues to scale up enforcement activity across multiple states.