Trump rejects plan to end ICE traffic stops, says vehicle inspections key to crackdown on immigration | Today’s news
US President Donald Trump has opposed plans to scale back Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) traffic stops despite a series of fatal encounters with federal immigration officials, saying the tactic remains one of the agency’s most effective immigration enforcement tools.
The comments came after administration officials reportedly instructed ICE officers to suspend most vehicle stops following two fatal shootings involving motorists in Texas and Maine, as well as the death of another man in Florida while fleeing federal agents.
Trump: ‘We can’t give up’ right stops
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday (July 15) Trump criticized the announced move to suspend most traffic stopsThey argue it would undermine immigration enforcement.
“We CANNOT give up one of ICE’s most important and effective crime fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!” Trump wrote.
He added that ending the practice would be “playing right into the hands of the criminal.”
Trump also urged immigration officials to continue to fulfill their duties while remaining “prudent, fair and smart.”
Uncertainty about ICE policy
Hours after Trump’s announcement, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reaffirmed that people living in the United States illegally will continue to be “arrested and deported wherever they are.” However, he stopped short of confirming whether regular stops would resume.
Fatal encounters spark scrutiny
ICE’s enforcement tactics have come under renewed criticism after three people died during encounters with federal immigration officials during the week.
In Florida, authorities said a 28-year-old man was struck and killed by a semi truck while fleeing immigration and other federal officers.
Earlier, two motorists were fatally shot by ICE officers — one in Texas and the other in Maine.
After the Maine shooting, officials familiar with the matter said ICE officers were instructed to suspend most vehicle stops while the incidents were reviewed.
Concerns about the use of force
Since Trump stepped up immigration enforcement, federal officers have fired several times at drivers saying the moving vehicles posed an imminent threat.
Police experts have long warned that shooting into moving vehicles is inherently dangerous and should generally be avoided because of the risk to officers, passengers and bystanders.
At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration agents since the start of Trump’s deportation campaign, according to reports, with at least four of those deaths involving vehicles.
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Questions remain about the Maine shooting
The man killed in Maine has been identified as 25-year-old Colombian national Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero.
According to DHS, Guerrero illegally entered the United States through the southern border in September 2023 before being released into the country. Advocacy groups said he was authorized to work in the United States when he was killed.
DHS said officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by someone who was leaving the residence under surveillance. The driver attempted to flee, prompting the officer to shoot “out of fear for public safety,” according to the department.
Authorities have not identified the officer involved, and officials acknowledged that the agents were not wearing body cameras. Photos from the scene showed bullet holes in the windshield of the vehicle, leaving unanswered questions about the circumstances of the shooting.
Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the incident, calling it a targeted killing “at the hands of the US government”.
Pressure on ICE
ICE is under increasing pressure to increase arrests and deportations as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
The agency says many migrants are staying in their homes after immigration advocacy groups advised them not to go to the door until officers present an arrest warrant signed by a judge.
Officials argue that traffic stops and out-of-home encounters have therefore become an important method for locating and arresting people targeted for deportation.
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