President Donald Trump demanded Wednesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers continue pulling over vehicles, directly opposing a recent internal directive to suspend most traffic stops. This order comes after three people died during encounters with federal officers within a single week, including 25-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national shot in his car on Monday.
Trump wrote on his social media site that ending these stops would be “playing right into the criminal’s hands.” He called traffic stops “one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools.” Hours after Trump's statement, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin issued his own, stating that people illegally in the country would be “arrested and deported wherever they are,” but he did not clarify whether ICE officers would resume traffic stops.
State Violence Escalates
The agency's enforcement tactics face renewed criticism following the recent deaths. In Florida, a 28-year-old man died Tuesday after being hit by a tractor trailer while fleeing immigration and other federal officers. Last week, an ICE officer shot and killed a motorist in Texas. On Monday, another motorist, Durán Guerrero, was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Maine.
Trump administration officials had told ICE officers to suspend most vehicle stops after the Maine killing, according to sources familiar with the decision. Federal officers confronting drivers have opened fire several times since the immigration crackdown began, claiming drivers' vehicles posed a danger. Policing experts have long warned that shooting into moving cars creates its own dangers and should almost always be avoided.
At least 10 deaths have occurred during encounters with immigration agents since Trump launched his deportation campaign. Four of these involved people in vehicles. This trend prompted Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine to urge Department of Homeland Security leaders “to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops.” She stated Wednesday that two shootings in a week “raise very serious questions” and warrant a temporary halt to this approach.
The System's Contradictions
ICE has faced pressure to increase arrest and deportation numbers. The agency claims people it seeks are increasingly staying in their homes. It often blames immigration advocates who advise immigrants to remain indoors unless ICE presents a warrant signed by an independent judge. ICE officers assert this forces them to find alternative methods for arrests.
DHS stated Wednesday that Durán Guerrero illegally entered the U.S. almost 3 years ago, on Sept. 1, 2023, through the southern border. Advocacy groups reported that he was authorized to work in the U.S. at the time of his death. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said the Homeland Security secretary informed him Monday that ICE officers were in Biddeford to serve an arrest warrant, but it was not for Durán Guerrero.
DHS reported that when ICE attempted to stop a vehicle driven by someone from a surveilled home, the “vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon.” The department did not answer questions about the agent who shot Durán Guerrero. Photos showed bullet holes in Durán Guerrero’s car windshield, but the officers involved lacked body cameras, leaving many questions unanswered.
Resistance Emerges
Hundreds gathered Tuesday to remember Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero. More protests are now planned. Karolina Rojas, his partner and the mother of their young daughter, shared a photo on Instagram, writing, “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 Durán Guerrero's shooting a targeted killing “at the hands of the U.S. government.” In his social media post, Trump advised ICE to be “judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job.” Border czar Tom Homan told reporters that an investigation must proceed, and officers would be held accountable if they acted inappropriately or illegally. Maine’s Democratic governor, Janet Mills, who has previously criticized ICE, said Wednesday that the agency needs changes “before more families are robbed of a loved one,” suggesting it should be scrapped if it cannot be fixed. These calls for reform, however, do not address the systemic function of ICE in maintaining a vulnerable, exploitable labor force.