WASHINGTON — A group of nearly 40 U.S. senators sent a formal letter to the Department of Homeland Security on Monday, demanding answers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement about how the agency screens new officers and handles vehicle pursuits — and calling for body cameras to be deployed to all ICE agents without delay.
The letter was led by Maine’s Independent Sen. Angus King and signed by 38 Democratic senators. It was directed to the Department of Homeland Security, which has authority over ICE. The push follows two separate incidents in which ICE officers fatally shot immigrants — one in Houston and one in Maine.
The Associated Press reported last week that the ICE officer responsible for the Maine shooting had a troubling history of violent behavior toward family members, as documented in family court records.
His first ex-wife, Ashley Brouillette, told the AP that he was physically abusive during their relationship, including an incident in which he threw boiling water at her while she was holding their child.
His second ex-wife, Lucinda Brouillette, issued a statement over the weekend describing what she called “a persistent pattern of abuse, intimidation, manipulation, fear, and control.”
“Throughout our marriage and in the years that followed, I have feared for a long time that his anger, aggression, and escalating behavior would eventually result in severe, life threatening violence, and I often believed I would be the one on the receiving end of it,” she wrote.
Hundreds of pages of family court records paint a disturbing picture of the relationship and its aftermath. Lucinda Brouillette alleged in court that he stalked and harassed her and was physically and verbally abusive toward his daughter. She described incidents in which he tackled his teenage daughter and smashed spaghetti in her hair, and in another episode dragged the girl around the house while she cried.
“Dave needs counseling or something for his PTSD & depression,” she wrote in a 2021 application for a temporary protective order on behalf of his teenage daughter, which a judge approved.
In his own court filings, David Brouillette denied the allegations, saying his second ex-wife had slandered him.
Multiple family members told the AP they believe the government never should have given him a weapon, a badge, or the authority to patrol city streets, particularly as the Trump administration accelerates its mass deportation efforts.
The senators’ letter outlined several new accountability measures they want ICE to adopt, including being transparent about whether the agency reviews family court records related to domestic violence or abuse when evaluating potential recruits.
“We remain supportive of removing dangerous convicted criminals from our communities, but this goal can and must be achieved without endangering these very communities in the process. By no stretch could either of the victims in Texas and Maine be characterized as ‘the worst of the worst,’ making these tragic deaths even more egregious,” the senators wrote. “The American people deserve clarity and accountability.”
The letter also called on ICE officers to immediately begin wearing uniforms or vests that clearly identify them as “ICE” rather than using the more general labels “POLICE” or “POLICE ICE.” Civil rights organizations have long criticized the agency for failing to wear clear identification that distinguishes ICE agents from other law enforcement.
Senators additionally pressed for information on what steps are being taken to change how officers handle traffic stops and vehicle chases.
Both the Maine and Houston shootings occurred while the victims were inside vehicles. Following the Maine incident, Homeland Security temporarily suspended vehicle stops by ICE officers except under specific circumstances. However, just one day later, President Donald Trump posted on social media that traffic stops should resume, reversing course after backlash from some MAGA supporters.
Homeland Security announced last week that it was introducing additional training for officers in areas including crowd control, high-risk vehicle stops, live-fire exercises, and medical response — citing what the agency described as coordinated attacks on its officers and facilities.
