U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have been instructed not to engage in high-speed car chases and to conduct vehicle stops only after completing specific training, according to new internal guidance obtained by the Associated Press. The memo, signed by ICE's executive associate director Marcos D. Charles and dated Wednesday, states that officers are not authorized to chase vehicles that fail to stop. Instead, they should collect the vehicles' information for further investigation.
This guidance follows several incidents where ICE-initiated vehicle stops escalated, resulting in officers firing their weapons. Since last year, there have been over a dozen such encounters, leading to at least four fatalities and multiple injuries.
The new directives were issued after a temporary pause on most vehicle stops was ordered following fatal shootings of drivers in Maine and Texas in July. However, President Donald Trump subsequently directed the agency to resume traffic stops, labeling them as vital for crime fighting.
ICE has been under pressure from the White House to increase deportations, which have reached record levels. The agency's rapid hiring last year has raised concerns about the vetting and training of new officers.
In a statement, ICE characterized the memo as a routine reminder to law enforcement officers, emphasizing that vehicle stops and arrests of individuals in the country illegally will continue.
The new memo aims to enhance the safety of vehicle stops for ICE officers, targeted drivers, their passengers, and the public. It requires that vehicles used for traffic stops be equipped with lights and sirens to identify them as law enforcement vehicles. All officers involved in vehicle stops must activate their body cameras.
Only officers who have completed one of five designated training courses are authorized to conduct vehicle stops. Those without the required training may only assist as passengers and cannot drive the vehicles involved.
The memo allows the use of a technique known as pinning, which involves using a vehicle or barrier to stop a car, but only by trained officers. Similarly, the use of spike strips to deflate tires is restricted to those who have received special training.
The guidance was issued on the same day that testimony in court revealed that two ICE officers involved in a recent shooting incident did not comply with the new rules. In a bond hearing for Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, it was noted that the officer who shot him was not wearing a body camera, while another officer who had a camera turned it off during the pursuit.
Garces Perez is facing federal assault charges after allegedly striking an ICE officer with his vehicle. His attorneys have argued that the charges are retaliatory and that the camera footage does not conclusively show his actions during the incident.