Former Wives Say ICE Failed to Vet Officer in Fatal Maine Shooting Despite Years of Warnings About Racist, Violent Behavior

A person holds a sign reading "ICE out now" as they rally at Grant Park during the "No Kings" national day of protest in Chicago on March 28, 2026. Nationwide protests against US President Donald Trump are expected Saturday as millions of people vent fury over what they see as his authoritarian bent and other forms of cruel, law-trampling governance. It is the third time in less than a year that Americans will take to the streets as part of a grassroots movement called "No Kings," the most vocal and visual conduit for opposition to Trump since he began his second term in January 2025. (Credit: Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

The former wives of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer accused of fatally shooting a Colombian immigrant during a traffic stop in Maine say the agency failed to uncover years of alleged abusive behavior because investigators never contacted them during the hiring process, raising new questions about ICE's vetting of recruits.

In interviews with The Independent, Ashley Brouillette, the officer's first ex-wife, said she had long feared David Brouillette would seriously harm someone and believes the July 13 shooting "could have been 100 percent preventable" if ICE had conducted a more thorough background investigation. She said investigators never reached out to her before Brouillette joined the agency late last year.