President Donald Trump publicly rejected plans to suspend Immigration and Customs Enforcement traffic stops Wednesday, declaring the enforcement tactic essential to public safety just one day after administration officials moved to halt most vehicle stops following a series of fatal encounters. The president's statement throws into question whether ICE will reverse its Tuesday decision to suspend the stops, which have become a cornerstone of federal immigration enforcement efforts.
Trump wrote on social media that ending traffic stops would be "playing right into the criminal's hands." He added: "We CANNOT give up one of ICE's most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!"
The clash over enforcement tactics comes as ICE faces mounting scrutiny after three people died during encounters with federal officers within a week. A 28-year-old man was killed in Florida on Tuesday after being hit by a tractor trailer while running from immigration and other federal officers. Before that incident, two motorists were shot and killed by ICE officers—one in Texas last week and another in Maine on Monday.
Conflicting Signals from Leadership
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin issued his own statement hours after Trump's post, saying people illegally in the country would be "arrested and deported wherever they are." Mullin didn't directly address whether ICE officers will be allowed to carry out traffic stops, leaving the operational status unclear.
After the Maine killing on Monday, Trump administration officials told ICE officers to suspend most vehicle stops, according to people familiar with the decision. Since the immigration crackdown began, federal officers confronting drivers have opened fire several times, saying the drivers' vehicles had posed a danger. Policing experts have long said that shooting into moving cars presents a danger of its own and should almost always be avoided.
There have been at least 10 deaths involving encounters with immigration agents since Trump launched his deportation campaign. At least four of them involved people in vehicles, a trend so troubling that Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine urged Department of Homeland Security leaders "to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops." Two shootings in a week, she said Wednesday, "raise very serious questions" and warrant a halt in that approach for the time being.
Enforcement Pressures and Tactics
ICE has been under pressure to beef up arrest and deportation numbers. The agency says people being sought are increasingly staying in their homes, and it often blames immigration advocates who advise immigrants to stay in homes unless ICE produces a warrant signed by an independent judge. ICE officers say that means they're forced to find other ways to make arrests.
Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, the 25-year-old Colombian national shot in his car Monday, illegally entered the U.S. on Sept. 1, 2023, through the southern border, DHS said Wednesday. Advocacy groups said that when he was killed, he was authorized to work in the U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said the Homeland Security secretary told him on Monday that ICE officers were in Biddeford to serve an arrest warrant but that it wasn't for the person who was shot.
When ICE tried to stop a vehicle driven by someone who came from a home under surveillance, the "vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon," the department said. In its statement Wednesday, DHS said Guerrero was released into the U.S. after crossing the border. The department didn't answer questions about the agent who shot him.
Photos showed bullet holes in Durán Guerrero's car windshield, but the officers involved didn't have body cameras, leaving many questions. Karolina Rojas, his partner and the mother of their young daughter, shared a photo on Instagram of the three hugging and smiling. "I love you, my darling, my life. I love you. I have no words for this pain. You were my everything," she wrote.
Hundreds gathered Tuesday to remember Durán Guerrero. More protests are planned.
Political Fallout
Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro called the shooting of Durán Guerrero a targeted killing "at the hands of the U.S. government." In Wednesday's social media post, Trump told ICE to be "judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job." Border czar Tom Homan told reporters that the investigation needs to play out and that officers will be held accountable if they are found to have acted inappropriately or illegally.
Maine's Democratic governor, Janet Mills, said ICE should be scrapped as a federal agency if it can't be fixed. Mills, who has criticized ICE before, said Wednesday that the agency needs changes "before more families are robbed of a loved one."
Why This Matters:
The conflict between operational safety protocols and enforcement priorities exposes the challenge of balancing public safety with immigration law enforcement. ICE's traffic stops have proven effective at locating individuals who evade arrest by remaining in their homes, particularly when advocacy groups advise immigrants not to open doors without judicial warrants. The agency faces pressure to meet enforcement goals while critics demand operational changes that could limit its effectiveness. The absence of body cameras on officers involved in the Maine shooting raises accountability questions that complicate oversight. With at least 10 deaths involving immigration encounters since the deportation campaign began, the administration must reconcile its enforcement mandate with operational protocols that protect both officers and the public. The debate now centers on whether traffic stops remain a legitimate law enforcement tool or represent an unacceptable risk in immigration enforcement operations.