WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday overruled a Trump administration decision to temporarily suspend most U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle stops, directing the agency to resume using the tactic despite mounting scrutiny following two fatal shootings involving ICE officers.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said ICE should continue conducting traffic stops, describing them as "one of I.C.E.'s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools," while telling officers to be "judicious, fair and smart." The White House confirmed the president's directive reversed guidance issued a day earlier that had paused most vehicle stops during immigration enforcement operations.
The temporary suspension had been ordered after two men were fatally shot by ICE officers during separate vehicle-stop encounters in Texas and Maine within the span of about a week. Administration officials had said the pause would allow the agency to review tactics and provide additional training, while preserving exceptions for operations involving serious criminal targets or joint law enforcement missions.
According to administration officials, ICE field offices subsequently informed officers that vehicle stops were again authorized following Trump's intervention. A White House official said the president's social media directive was intended to overturn the earlier Department of Homeland Security guidance.
The policy reversal came after criticism from some conservative allies who argued that limiting vehicle stops would undermine immigration enforcement. White House border czar Tom Homan had opposed suspending the tactic, saying it was central to ICE's enforcement efforts.
The shootings that prompted the temporary halt remain under investigation. In Maine, ICE officers fatally shot Colombian national Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero during an attempted vehicle stop. In Houston, ICE officers fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a separate enforcement operation. Both incidents drew criticism from immigrant advocates and elected officials, while some lawmakers, including Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, called for a pause in vehicle stops pending further review.
The Department of Homeland Security has defended ICE's broader enforcement mission while stating that officer safety remains a priority. The agency has not publicly released evidence supporting all aspects of the encounters that resulted in the shootings, and investigations into the incidents remain ongoing.
The latest directive restores vehicle stops as a nationwide enforcement tool for ICE officers, ending a policy that had been in effect for less than a day while federal authorities continue investigating the recent fatal encounters.
