President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to continue pulling over vehicles, directly reversing a pause on most vehicle stops announced by Homeland Security just one day earlier. Trump declared that ending these stops would be “playing right into the criminal’s hands,” asserting that the nation “CANNOT give up one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!” His social media post directly challenged the "Radical Left Dumocrats," stating, “The Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see this done, but it won’t happen on my watch.” He instructed ICE to "be judicious, fair and smart," and to "go back and do your very important job." The White House confirmed this swift reversal to Fox News.
The initial pause, described as indefinite, had been implemented Tuesday, 1 day ago, instructing agents nationwide to cease most vehicle stops. This major shift in immigration enforcement operations limited stops to only those targets considered the most egregious, with serious or violent criminal histories. The directive mandated that the pause remain in effect until DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin approved new vehicle stop training. One senior ICE source told Fox News the change was “horrible but needs to happen,” a sentiment quickly overridden by the President.
This temporary halt followed a string of fatal shootings involving ICE agents. Two individuals were killed by agents during vehicle stops in Maine and Texas within a week, prompting renewed criticism of ICE’s enforcement tactics.
The Open Border Lobby's Attack
One of the individuals killed was Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian national, shot in Maine 3 days ago. DHS records show Durán Guerrero illegally entered the U.S. on September 1, 2023, through the southern border. He was subsequently released into the U.S. after crossing.
Advocacy groups, however, claimed Durán Guerrero was authorized to work in the U.S. when he was killed. Senator Angus King, I-Maine, stated that the Homeland Security secretary informed him that ICE officers were in Biddeford to serve an arrest warrant, but not for the person who was shot. DHS reported that when ICE attempted to stop a vehicle driven by someone from a home under surveillance, the “vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon.”
Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine urged Department of Homeland Security leaders “to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops,” a call that would further disarm federal agents. Hundreds gathered Tuesday to remember Durán Guerrero, with more protests planned, amplifying the narrative against enforcement. Karolina Rojas, his partner and the mother of their young daughter, posted on Instagram: “I love you, my darling, my life. I love you. I have no words for this pain. You were my everything. Please watch over me. Help me find the strength to carry on. Stay with me always. Don’t leave me alone. I’m begging you, my love.”
Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro called the shooting of Durán Guerrero a targeted killing “at the hands of the U.S. government,” an extraordinary intervention into American domestic law enforcement. Maine’s Democratic governor, Janet Mills, went further, stating ICE should be scrapped as a federal agency if it cannot be fixed. She said the agency needs changes “before more families are robbed of a loved one.”
The Cost of Uncontrolled Borders
Another fatal incident involved Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a homebuilder from Mexico, killed in Houston 9 days ago. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that the state’s top law enforcement unit would investigate the shooting. The DHS account of the July 7 shooting is disputed by three other men who were riding in a van with Salgado Araujo at the time. New court records reveal the FBI is investigating whether drugs were found in the van, according to a search warrant application signed by a federal judge Tuesday. FBI special agent David McNeilly stated in an affidavit that he observed four plastic bags of a white substance appearing to be meth inside the van. The ACLU of Texas, providing legal representation for Salgado Araujo’s family, asserted the Trump administration “lacks credibility” to investigate itself.
In Florida, a 28-year-old man was killed Tuesday, 1 day ago, after being hit by a tractor trailer while running from immigration and other federal officers. This incident marks one of at least 10 deaths involving encounters with immigration agents since Trump launched his deportation campaign, with at least four of these involving people in vehicles.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who initially oversaw the pause, later affirmed that he and Trump “are on the same page.” He added that they wanted ICE officers “to have all options available to keep them safe while executing their mission.” Border czar Tom Homan told reporters that investigations into these incidents must proceed, and officers will be held accountable if found to have acted inappropriately or illegally.
Trump’s decisive action ensures that critical border enforcement tools remain available, pushing back against those who seek to dismantle national sovereignty and the rule of law.