Trump Orders ICE to Resume Traffic Stops After Deadly

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to resume using traffic stops during immigration enforcement operations, reversing a temporary suspension announced just a day earlier following two fatal shootings involving federal agents. The decision came after White House border czar Tom Homan said ICE would pause most vehicle stops to review safety procedures and ensure agents were following proper protocols. However, the move faced criticism from conservative allies, prompting Trump to publicly reinstate the tactic.

In a post on social media, Trump described traffic stops as one of ICE’s most effective crime-fighting tools, saying the agency must remain “strong, tough, and smart” in carrying out immigration enforcement. The policy reversal follows two controversial incidents. On Monday, an ICE officer fatally shot a Colombian national during a traffic stop in Biddeford, Maine.

Days earlier, another ICE agent shot and killed a Mexican national in Houston, Texas. Authorities have acknowledged that neither driver was the intended target of the immigration operations underway at the time. The shootings have intensified scrutiny of ICE enforcement tactics, particularly the agency’s use of vehicle stops and the lack of body cameras for many officers.

Critics argue federal officials have not presented evidence showing the drivers posed an immediate threat that justified the use of deadly force. The incidents also triggered protests in Maine, Houston and Boston while becoming a key issue in Maine’s closely watched U.S. Senate race. Republican Senator Susan Collins called for traffic stops to remain suspended until investigations into the shootings are completed.

According to internal ICE data cited by Reuters, immigration arrests in Maine increased more than fourfold between early June and early July, reaching about 70 arrests per day. Since Trump returned to office in January 2025 and launched a renewed mass deportation campaign, at least seven people have been killed during federal immigration enforcement operations, while 53 detainees have died in ICE custody. The latest reported detainee death involved Venezuelan national Jesus Manuel Arenas-Silva, who suffered a suspected cardiac arrest while being transferred between detention centers in Georgia.

Immigration advocates allege he was deprived of critical medication despite repeated requests from his family.

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