Trump: ICE Should Do Traffic Stops, Opposes Suspension Despite 2 Recent Fatal Shooting/ Newslookls/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Donald Trump urged ICE to continue traffic stops despite a reported suspension following deadly encounters. Recent shootings involving immigration officers have intensified scrutiny of vehicle-stop tactics during Trump’s deportation campaign. Federal and state authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of Colombian national Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine.
ICE Traffic Stops Quick Looks
- Trump urged ICE to continue using vehicle stops.
- His position appeared to conflict with a reported ICE suspension.
- Two deadly shootings occurred within one week.
- At least 10 deaths have involved encounters with immigration agents during Trump’s deportation campaign.
- At least four deaths involved people in vehicles.
- Maine Sen. Susan Collins urged an end to non-urgent vehicle stops.
- Hundreds protested the Maine shooting of Durán Guerrero.
- Officers involved in the Maine shooting did not have body cameras.
- DHS and witnesses have offered accounts that leave unanswered questions.
- The DHS inspector general and FBI are involved in the investigation.
- Trump told ICE officers to be “judicious, fair and smart.”
- Critics continue to question the risks of shooting at moving vehicles.
Deep Look
Trump Backs ICE Traffic Stops Despite Deadly Shootings
President Donald Trump said Immigration and Customs Enforcement should continue using traffic stops as part of his administration’s immigration crackdown, appearing to push back against a newly reported suspension of most vehicle stops following a series of deadly encounters.
Trump defended ICE on Wednesday and described vehicle stops as an important law enforcement tactic.
ICE is “doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done,” Trump wrote on social media.
The president argued that immigration officers need aggressive enforcement tools to remove people he says entered the United States under the previous Democratic administration.
“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!” Trump said.
“Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands.”
Trump’s comments appeared to conflict with instructions recently given to ICE officers to suspend most vehicle stops.
ICE Reportedly Suspends Most Vehicle Stops
Trump administration officials told ICE personnel to temporarily halt most vehicle stops after two fatal shootings within a week, according to people familiar with the decision.
The suspension followed the fatal shooting of Colombian driver Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine.
One week earlier, another ICE officer fatally shot a motorist in Houston.
The incidents renewed criticism of federal immigration enforcement tactics.
ICE’s methods had already drawn intense scrutiny following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota last winter.
The reported suspension still allowed exceptions.
Vehicle stops could continue while officers were executing criminal warrants or working with other law enforcement agencies.
The office of Maine Sen. Angus King was also informed by the Department of Homeland Security that ICE was suspending traffic stops, according to spokesperson Matthew Felling.
Trump’s public demand that ICE continue the practice has now created uncertainty over whether the suspension will remain in effect.
Immigration Encounters Linked to Multiple Deaths
At least 10 deaths have involved encounters with immigration agents since Trump launched his expanded deportation campaign.
At least four of those cases involved people in vehicles.
Former acting ICE Director John Sandweg recently estimated that approximately 18 traffic-stop shootings have occurred during the immigration crackdown.
The growing number of violent encounters has renewed debate over law enforcement officers firing at moving vehicles.
Policing experts have warned for decades that shooting into a moving car can create additional danger.
A driver who is wounded or killed can lose control of a vehicle, potentially putting officers, pedestrians and other motorists at risk.
Despite those warnings, federal immigration officers have repeatedly said they fired after vehicles were used, or appeared to be used, as threats.
Susan Collins Urged Halt to Non-Urgent Stops
Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said she had urged Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin “to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops.”
Her request followed the fatal shooting in Maine.
Collins later said ICE needs to improve its methods but argued that eliminating the agency would make the country less safe.
The controversy has also become part of Maine’s Senate campaign.
Democrats seeking to defeat Collins in November have attempted to link her politically to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat seeking Collins’ Senate seat, called the ICE officers involved in the shooting “thugs” during a vigil in Lewiston.
Maine Shooting Sparks Protests
Hundreds of people demonstrated in Maine following the death of Durán Guerrero.
The 25-year-old Colombian national had a wife and young daughter.
Immigrant advocacy organizations said he was authorized to work legally in the United States.
DHS said an ICE officer shot Durán Guerrero while federal agents were monitoring the home of another person.
Authorities believed the person they were watching was in the country illegally and faced a final removal order.
According to DHS, ICE officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by someone who had left the home.
The department said Durán Guerrero attempted to flee.
An officer, “fearing for public safety,” then opened fire, DHS said.
Conflicting Accounts Raise Questions
Questions remain about exactly what happened before the shooting.
King initially said Mullin told him the officer fired because Durán Guerrero attempted to use his vehicle as a weapon.
King also said the officers were trying to serve an arrest warrant on someone other than the man who was killed.
DHS later described the officer as acting because of concerns about public safety.
The differing descriptions have intensified calls for a transparent investigation.
Photos from the scene showed bullet holes in the vehicle’s windshield.
The ICE officers involved were not wearing body cameras.
That means investigators do not have body-camera footage showing the critical moments immediately before the shooting.
Major questions include how close the officer was to the vehicle, whether Durán Guerrero was ordered to stop and why officers concluded that he posed a danger to the public.
Colombian President Condemns Shooting
Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro strongly condemned Durán Guerrero’s death.
- Petro described the incident as a targeted killing “at the hands of the U.S. government.”
The Colombian leader has frequently clashed with Trump.
Petro demanded an explanation from the American president and accused ICE officers of treating Durán Guerrero as “an inferior being without rights.”
The comments added an international dimension to the controversy surrounding the Maine shooting.
Trump Tells ICE to Return to Work
Trump’s Wednesday message strongly supported immigration officers.
He told ICE personnel to be “judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job.”
The president has made mass deportations and aggressive immigration enforcement central parts of his second administration.
ICE has also faced pressure to increase arrest and deportation numbers.
Federal officers say enforcement has become more difficult because people targeted for arrest increasingly remain inside their homes.
Immigration advocates frequently advise people not to open their doors unless ICE officers present a warrant signed by an independent judge.
ICE commonly relies on administrative warrants signed by immigration officials.
As a result, officers say they increasingly attempt to make arrests away from homes, including during vehicle stops.
Investigators Examine Officer’s Actions
Border czar Tom Homan said the investigation into the Maine shooting must be allowed to proceed.
He said officers would face accountability if investigators determine they acted illegally or improperly.
Maine’s attorney general’s office is working with federal agencies.
Initial statements indicate that Durán Guerrero may have been attempting to flee in the direction of the ICE officer, state officials said.
The officer’s identity has not been publicly released.
The officer was placed on leave following the shooting.
Collins said Mullin informed her that the DHS Office of Inspector General is investigating the incident in cooperation with the FBI.
Maine’s congressional delegation has demanded a “comprehensive, transparent, and expedited investigation.”
ICE Tactics Face Growing Scrutiny
The dispute over traffic stops highlights growing tension within Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign.
ICE officers argue that vehicle stops are necessary because traditional arrest methods have become increasingly difficult.
Trump agrees and views the tactic as a vital crime-fighting tool.
Critics say the repeated deadly encounters demonstrate the need for tighter restrictions, improved training and clearer policies regarding moving vehicles.
The Maine shooting has become a major test of those competing arguments.
The investigation could determine whether the officer followed federal policy and whether ICE’s broader enforcement tactics need additional changes.
For now, Trump’s public support for traffic stops appears to challenge the reported suspension imposed by his own administration.
The president’s message is clear: he wants ICE to continue aggressive enforcement.
But the growing number of deaths and investigations ensures the agency’s vehicle-stop tactics will remain under intense scrutiny.
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