U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued internal orders to cease vehicle stops, as confirmed by five ICE officials across the country. This directive, effective immediately and implemented in at least three administrative regions, follows two recent shootings involving ICE agents in Texas and Maine during vehicle stop attempts.
The officials, who requested anonymity, indicated that the change aims to reduce the risk of similar incidents occurring again. One official noted that agents have been instructed to apprehend individuals before they leave parking spots or to follow them to locations such as gas stations to avoid confrontations.
ICE has not publicly commented on the directive. The orders reportedly did not come as formal written instructions but were communicated through field office directors to expedite the process.
The Enforcement and Removal Operations division of ICE, responsible for most immigration arrests, received this directive. In contrast, the agency's criminal investigative arm, Homeland Security Investigations, did not receive similar orders.
The recent shootings involved Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and Colombian national Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine. Officials from the Department of Homeland Security stated that neither individual was the intended target of the operations. Investigations into the shootings are ongoing, involving both state and local authorities.
This shift in policy marks a significant change in ICE's enforcement tactics, which had included increased vehicle stops during the Trump administration. The cessation of these stops is expected to impact ICE's enforcement capabilities, as noted by an official from the South.