PORTLAND, Maine – Some of the leading contenders in the race to replace former candidate Graham Platner as the Democratic Senate nominee in Maine are amplifying calls to abolish ICE after a fatal shooting by federal immigration officers in the northern New England state.

Hours after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Monday shot and killed a man in Biddeford, which is located about 15 miles south-west of Portland, four of the candidates joined hundreds of protesters who marched by the shooting site.

The shooting comes as the battle to replace Platner is heating up, and will likely boost immigration as an issue in a crucial Senate race that may determine the Senate majority.

«I think we are at the point where ICE needs to be abolished,» Nirav Shah, the former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told Fox News Digital. «ICE in its current form has shown itself incapable of doing its job.»

PLATNER EXITS SENATE RACE AMID SCANDALS AND CHORUS OF CALLS TO DROP OUT

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, speaking with reporters, said, «This is not acceptable in America. A young man, a dad, has been killed by ICE…This must stop. We need to get ICE out of the streets.»

Troy Jackson, a former state Senate president, took to social media immediately after the shooting to write, «Abolish ICE.»

Jackson held a sign at the protest that called for abolishing ICE, and reiterated that he’s been calling for the dismantling of the agency for months.

Paige Loud, a social worker and former congressional candidate who has also launched a Senate bid, also attended the protest.

«We must abolish ICE and prosecute the leaders of these operations that are destroying communities,» she said in a social media post.

The incident in Maine is the second in a week when ICE agents have used deadly force, following the fatal shooting during a traffic stop in Houston, Texas.

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A woman holds a sign reading «ICE OUT OF HOUSTON» during a vigil for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national fatally shot by a federal immigration agent a day prior, Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Mark Felix)

The latest incidents are reigniting protests and scrutiny of federal agents months after the shooting deaths in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the beginning of the year of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Those shootings drew weeks of national coverage and sharp debate over President Donald Trump’s ramped-up deportation efforts amid his administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

The Maine attorney general’s office, which is investigating Monday’s shooting along with the FBI, said initial statements suggest the motorist who was the target of the enforcement operation was attempting to flee in the direction of an ICE agent.

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Protesters lay flowers at a makeshift memorial following the fatal shooting by ICE agents in Biddeford, Maine on July 13, 2026 (Kailey Schuyler / Fox News)

Two immigration advocacy groups said the man who was killed was authorized to work in the U.S. and had a Social Security number.

The shooting in Maine came three days after Platner ended his campaign amid mounting controversies and allegations of sexual misconduct that he had repeatedly denied, and a chorus of calls from top Democrats in Maine, the nation’s capital, and across the country to drop out of the race immediately.

A populist Democrat who was backed last September by progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders, Platner was challenging longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a high-profile, combustible and expensive race in Maine, which is one of a handful that will determine if the GOP holds onto its slim Senate majority in November’s midterm elections.

Seven Democrats have filed to run for the nomination, which will be determined by roughly 600 voting delegates at a July 25 convention held by the Maine Democratic Party.

Graham Platner speaks at his Primary Election event on June 9, 2026, in Blue Hill, Maine. (CJ Gunther/Getty Images)

Collins said in a statement following the shooting that «a full and impartial investigation of what happened» was needed.

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Hours later, Collins said in another statement that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin «informed me that the Boston office of the DHS Inspector General has taken over the investigation of the Biddeford shooting in cooperation with the FBI.»

One of Collins’ Senate offices is located in Biddeford, and protesters marched to the office to chant, «Vote her out.»
 

A principios de 2024, el rector de la universidad Ludovika de Budapest, Gergely Deli, recibió una sorprendente petición de un alto funcionario de Hungría. El funcionario le dijo que la universidad debería organizar una conferencia sobre el cambio climático e invitar a un invitado inesperado: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, el expresidente de Irán, ampliamente repudiado.

Aún más impactante fue el motivo. El funcionario le dijo a Deli que la conferencia era simplemente una tapadera para que Ahmadinejad mantuviera conversaciones secretas en Budapest con agentes de Israel. Deli sabía que la invitación podría empañar la reputación de la universidad. Sin embargo, afirmó que creía que podría estar contribuyendo a salvar vidas. “Tienes dos enemigos, y si estos enemigos quieren hablar entre sí, lo mejor es hacer todo lo posible para que hablen”, declaró.

La visita de Ahmadinejad a la universidad en 2024 y una segunda en 2025 formaron parte de un esfuerzo israelí que duró varios años para prepararlo como un activo de inteligencia que, llegado el momento, podría ser instalado como el nuevo líder de Irán, según funcionarios estadounidenses e iraníes familiarizados con la operación, que hablaron bajo condición de anonimato para describir información de inteligencia sensible.

Para Israel, reclutar a Ahmadinejad era una prioridad tal que el entonces jefe de los espías israelíes, David Barnea, viajó a la capital húngara en 2024 para reunirse con él, según exfuncionarios de EE.UU. Poco después, el Mossad, el servicio de inteligencia exterior de Israel, notificó a la CIA que había estado en contacto con el iraní.

La decisión de Israel de construir un plan de cambio de régimen en torno a Ahmadinejad supone un giro extraordinario en la saga de las relaciones del país con el expresidente, conocido por acelerar el programa nuclear de Irán, pedir la destrucción de Israel y negar el Holocausto.

Según funcionarios estadounidenses, en los últimos años Israel pagó en secreto dinero a Ahmadinejad para cubrir sus gastos de alojamiento y viajes, y agentes israelíes se reunieron con él en el extranjero en varias ocasiones, incluso durante sus viajes a Budapest. El esfuerzo culminó a finales de febrero de este año —en los primeros días de la guerra entre EE.UU. e Israel contra Irán- con una audaz operación para reubicar al exlíder, quien vivía bajo estricta vigilancia en Teherán. El objetivo: poner en marcha el plan para derrocar al régimen actual e instalar a Ahmadinejad. El plan fracasó.

El 28 de febrero, un ataque aéreo israelí impactó el complejo de Ahmadinejad, teniendo como objetivo el edificio de sus guardaespaldas y su vehículo blindado. Tras el ataque, según cuatro altos funcionarios iraníes, un Peugeot negro recogió a Ahmadinejad y lo trasladó lejos de la caótica escena.

Funcionarios estadounidenses e iraníes afirmaron que el coche había sido conducido por agentes del Mossad, quienes llevaron a Ahmadinejad a una casa de seguridad secreta en Irán. Pero el iraní estaba molesto por la frenética operación de rescate y parecía estar desilusionado con el plan israelí para devolverle al poder Finalmente, abandonó la casa de seguridad en circunstancias aún no claras. Ahmadinejad no volvió a ser visto en público hasta el lunes pasado, cuando hizo una breve aparición en la procesión fúnebre del asesinado líder supremo, el ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Su situación actual sigue siendo incierta. Sin embargo, cuatro altos funcionarios iraníes afirmaron que Ahmadinejad está bajo custodia del servicio de inteligencia de la Guardia Revolucionaria, en arresto domiciliario ahora que Irán tiene conocimiento de gran parte de sus interacciones con Israel.

Israel no se ha pronunciado sobre el plan para instalar a Ahmadinejad como líder de Irán, que formaba parte de un intento más amplio de derrocar al régimen. Otro elemento del plan consistía en armar y entrenar a las fuerzas de la oposición kurda para que cruzaran al oeste de Irán, controlaran el territorio y, finalmente, avanzaran hacia la capital, Teherán.

El plan de cambio de régimen implicaba una “secuencia de operaciones especiales, muy, muy singulares, que se suponía que debían llevarse a cabo”, declaró Tamir Hayman, exjefe de inteligencia del ejército israelí al programa de PBS “Firing Line” en mayo, luego de que The New York Times revelara detalles sobre el papel de Ahmadinejad en el plan. “Ahmadinejad -dijo- formaba parte de esa secuencia”. Los funcionarios del Mossad no respondieron a pedidos de comentarios. Tampoco Ali Javanfekr, portavoz de Ahmadinejad.

Como presidente de Irán ( 2005 y 2013) Ahmadinejad fue el político de línea dura más prominente. Abogó por la eliminación de Israel y en su mandato, Irán despertó sospechas de que estuviera desarrollando un programa secreto de armas nucleares. [Es conocido en la Argentina por haber firmado el memorándum de entendimiento sobre la AMIA con Cristina Kirchner en 2013. Teherán mantuvo conversaciones secretas con el ex ex canciller Héctor Timerman, que derivaron en la firma del pacto con Irán en Etiopía en 2013. Este acuerdo establecía una “comisión de la verdad” integrada por figuras internacionales que iba a tomar declaración en Irán a los acusados iraníes de ser autores intelectuales del atentado contra la AMIA de 1994, que dejó 85 muertos. En rigor, buscaba garantizar la impunidad. El pacto fue declarado inconstitucional en Argentina]

M.Mazzetti, J.Barnes, F.Fassihi y R.Bergman

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that he will continue to work with Morris Katz, one of the leading political consultants behind Graham Platner’s doomed bid for Senate.

«I will continue to work with Morris Katz, he remains a top advisor of mine,» Mamdani said at a news conference on Monday.

Many of Katz’s fellow Democrats lambasted him after Platner withdrew from the race following a rape accusation – which Platner denied – from an ex-girlfriend, arguing that Katz failed to do his due diligence before promoting Platner to party leaders. Some in the party are now calling for him to be blacklisted from future political operations.

Katz and his consulting partner, Daniel Moraff, ignored multiple requests from their own vetting team to dig deeper into Platner’s past over concerns of possible scandals, a source familiar with the early stages of the Platner campaign previously told Fox News Digital. The duo paid just over $6,000 for a three-day vetting job, something that usually takes weeks and costs tens of thousands of dollars.

PLATNER’S THREE-DAY VETTING JOB COMES BACK TO HAUNT DEMS AS RAPE ALLEGATION ROCKS SENATE BID

In addition to a rape accusation, Platner also attracted scrutiny over a trove of controversial deleted Reddit posts, a Nazi-linked tattoo he acquired while serving in the military and his alleged mistreatment of women.

The reporter asking Mamdani about Katz cited a letter circulated by the Democratic Socialists of America urging their political allies not to work with him.

KINGMAKER MAMDANI CALLS ON PLATNER TO ‘DROP OUT OF THE RACE’ AFTER RAPE ALLEGATION

Democratic Senate nominee in Maine Graham Platner and his wife speak with supporters following his primary night victory speech, in Blue Hill, Maine in June 9, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News Digital)

«Morris Katz is one of the chief parties responsible for the catastrophic campaign of scandal-ridden Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner,» the letter reads. «Billed as a top adviser to the campaign, Katz helped recruit Platner and supercharged his candidacy with slick video production, friendly media placements and political connections.»

Democratic sources claim that Katz pitched Platner as a potential successor to an elderly Sen. Bernie Sanders and a potential presidential contender — a characterization he now denies.

After Platner announced his intention to suspend his candidacy, Katz wrote on X that «as soon as the team became aware of the rape allegations against Graham Platner we advised he suspend his candidacy, and in the following days worked to wind down the campaign» and that he was «deeply disappointed.»

PLATNER AIDE HIT WITH BRUTAL TIMELINE CHECK AFTER CAMPAIGN DENIED RAPE CLAIM, THEN FOLDED DAYS LATER

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a primary-night watch party for congressional candidate Claire Valdez at 99 Scott Studio on June 23, 2026, in Brooklyn. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

A community note attached to his post points out that Platner’s campaign initially denied the rape allegation.

Katz also threatened former Platner staffer Genevieve McDonald in an attempt to dissuade her from cooperating with reporters seeking to cover Platner’s alleged emotional abuse of women.

«Just want to be clear on where we are right now,» Katz wrote in the message obtained by the Bangor Daily News. «If the story goes in its current iteration we’ll communicate directly on the record, and by name, that Genevieve violated the personal trust of Amy and Graham and shared explicit falsehoods to sabotage the campaign.»

Katz also faced criticism earlier this year over a puberty book he previously authored.

The political consultant authored a book in 2020 that bills itself as a «puberty book» for «curious boys» aged 10 to 12. Sections of the book include «Your New Penis» and «The Magic of Masturbation.»

In a footnote on page 15 of the text, Katz wrote that he planned to «use images of my penis» to show children how genitalia develop during puberty, but that publishers shot the idea down for being «inappropriate.» Conservative critics swiftly condemned him over the remark, with Katz later saying the comment was joke. 

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«Only a perverted freak would say that,» wildly popular conservative X account «Libs of TikTok,» which is operated by Chaya Raichik, posted to X in March. 

«Morris Katz’s musings about exposing himself to ten-year-olds are absolutely disgusting,» the National Republican Senatorial Committee said of Katz back in March as news of the footnote spread. 

Mamdani’s office did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday.