Trump says ICE won't halt traffic stops after recent fatal shootings
Following two fatal shootings by ICE officers, the agency announced a temporary pause on traffic stops that President Trump has explicitly rejected. The directive has sparked protests and prompted calls for congressional oversight into immigration enforcement practices.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday told Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to keep using vehicle stops even as the agency announced a temporary pause following two fatal shootings. The president’s declaration comes just a day after officials ordered most traffic stops to be suspended, a move that has sparked protests in several states and revived a national debate over ICE’s enforcement tactics.
In a social‑media post, Trump wrote:
Media additions
"We must be strong, tough, and smart, and we CANNOT give up one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP! Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands."
Donald Trump, President, via Detroit News
Trump’s stance directly challenges the agency’s latest guidance, which—according to AP News—was issued after an ICE officer in Biddeford, Maine, shot and killed a Colombian driver and an ICE officer in Houston, Texas, shot and killed a Mexican national six days earlier.
Tom Homan, the administration’s border czar, described the suspension as a short‑term safety review. He told Fox News:
"It's not a policy change, it's a temporary pause. This is going to be a short‑term review to make sure ICE agents are safe and doing the right thing."
Tom Homan, Border czar, via Detroit News
Homan added that officers would use “other options to make arrests,” implying that some form of enforcement would continue despite the pause.
Political and community response
Protests erupted in Maine, Houston and Boston following the killings. Hundreds gathered in Lewiston, Maine, to denounce the ICE officers, with local officials labeling them “thugs.”
Senator Susan Collins (R‑Maine) told the AP News outlet that she had urged Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to “cease all non‑urgent vehicle stops.” Maine’s independent Senator Angus King said his office was informed that ICE was suspending traffic stops, a statement confirmed by a spokesperson for the senator’s office.
On the Senate floor, Democratic leaders, including Senator Amy Klobuchar (D‑Minnesota), pressed Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to ensure full cooperation with state investigations into the Maine and Texas shootings. Blanche responded that “full cooperation” could be disputed but affirmed his expectation that the inspector general and FBI would be involved where appropriate.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins later emphasized that while ICE needs improvement, abolishing the agency would make the nation less safe, a view echoed in a statement reported by Los Angeles Times.
Numbers and expert estimates
The Department of Homeland Security has characterized the two deceased drivers as “illegal aliens,” yet it acknowledged that neither was the intended target of the respective deportation operations. Federal authorities have not provided evidence that either driver posed a threat to officers or the public.
The cumulative toll of lethal force in immigration enforcement has risen sharply during Trump’s second term. Detroit News reported that at least seven people have been shot dead during federal immigration operations since January 2025. Los Angeles Times noted at least ten deaths since the start of the mass‑deportation campaign, including four involving vehicles.
John Sandweg, who acted as ICE director during the Obama administration, estimated “roughly 18 traffic stop shootings” have occurred under Trump’s immigration crackdown, according to Los Angeles Times.
Operational context
The agency’s lack of body‑camera footage in both the Maine and Texas incidents has fueled calls for greater transparency. Photographs of bullet holes in Durán Guerrero’s windshield were widely circulated, but no video evidence has emerged to confirm the officer’s proximity to the vehicle or whether commands were issued before the shots were fired.
What to watch next
- Senate hearings – Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will face a high‑stakes confirmation hearing on Wednesday, where senators are expected to question his handling of ICE investigations and the department’s cooperation with state authorities.
- Congressional oversight – Committee chairs, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, have pledged to monitor the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector‑general review of the Maine and Texas shootings.
- State‑level actions – Maine’s congressional delegation has demanded a “comprehensive, transparent and expedited investigation.”
