Trump Admin Orders ICE to Suspend Most Vehicle Stops After 2 Deadly Shootings/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ The Trump administration ordered ICE officers to suspend most vehicle stops following two deadly shootings. The policy shift comes amid renewed scrutiny of immigration enforcement tactics and demands for investigations. A fatal ICE shooting in Maine sparked protests, diplomatic criticism and questions about officers’ actions.
ICE Vehicle Stops Suspended Quick Looks
- ICE officers were told to suspend most vehicle stops.
- The order followed two deadly shootings within one week.
- A Colombian driver was fatally shot Monday in Maine.
- Another motorist was killed during an ICE encounter in Houston.
- Exceptions remain for criminal warrants and partner-agency operations.
- Hundreds protested the Maine shooting outside an ICE detention center.
- Maine lawmakers demanded a comprehensive and transparent investigation.
- Officers involved in the Maine shooting were not wearing body cameras.
- DHS’ inspector general and the FBI are involved in reviewing the incident.
- The victim, Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, leaves behind a wife and young daughter.
Deep Look
ICE Suspends Most Vehicle Stops After Deadly Shootings Raise Scrutiny
The Trump administration has ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to suspend most vehicle stops following two deadly shootings within a week, marking a significant shift in enforcement procedures as criticism of ICE tactics intensifies.
People familiar with the decision said Tuesday that immigration officers were instructed to largely halt vehicle stops. The move followed the fatal shooting of a Colombian driver in Maine on Monday and another deadly shooting involving a motorist in Houston roughly a week earlier.
The incidents have renewed national debate over the tactics used during President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign.
The new ICE policy allows some exceptions. Officers can still conduct certain vehicle stops while executing criminal warrants or working alongside partner law enforcement agencies, according to a person familiar with sensitive enforcement operations.
Matthew Felling, a spokesperson for Maine Sen. Angus King, said the senator’s office was also informed by the Department of Homeland Security that ICE was suspending vehicle stops.
The decision comes as immigration enforcement agencies face heightened scrutiny over a series of deadly encounters.
Maine ICE Shooting Sparks Protests
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Maine on Tuesday following the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national.
Durán Guerrero was killed Monday during an encounter with ICE officers.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, officers had been monitoring the home of a person they believed was living in the United States illegally and subject to a final removal order.
DHS said ICE officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by someone who had left the home.
The department said Durán Guerrero attempted to flee and an officer fired because of concerns about public safety.
However, questions have emerged about the exact circumstances leading to the shooting.
King previously said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him the officer fired after the driver allegedly attempted to use the vehicle as a weapon.
King also said Mullin told him officers had been trying to serve an arrest warrant for another person — not Durán Guerrero.
DHS did not immediately provide additional clarification about the different descriptions of the encounter.
Colombia’s President Condemns Fatal ICE Shooting
The shooting also triggered a strong response from outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
Petro accused the U.S. government of carrying out a targeted killing and demanded an explanation from Trump.
The Colombian leader has repeatedly clashed politically with the U.S. president.
Petro argued that ICE officers treated Durán Guerrero as a person without basic rights.
His comments added an international diplomatic dimension to an incident already drawing intense criticism inside Maine.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside an ICE detention center in Scarborough, located between Biddeford and Portland.
Demonstrators carried signs criticizing ICE and calling for accountability over the fatal shooting.
Maine’s congressional delegation also demanded what lawmakers described as a comprehensive, transparent and expedited investigation.
Questions Remain About ICE Officer’s Use of Deadly Force
Durán Guerrero’s death marked at least the ninth reported instance in which ICE used deadly force since Trump’s latest immigration crackdown began.
Photos from the scene showed bullet holes in the windshield of Durán Guerrero’s vehicle.
The ICE officers involved were not wearing body cameras.
The absence of body camera footage has left investigators and the public with significant unanswered questions.
Among the key issues are the officer’s location in relation to the vehicle when shots were fired, whether officers ordered Durán Guerrero to stop and why authorities believed his actions created a danger to the public.
ICE said the agency continually evaluates its procedures to protect officers and remove people it identifies as criminals from U.S. communities.
The agency declined to discuss specific law enforcement tactics.
Maine’s attorney general’s office said it was working with federal authorities on the investigation.
Initial statements suggest Durán Guerrero was attempting to flee in the direction of the officer, according to state officials.
The officer’s identity has not been publicly released and the officer was placed on leave.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins said Mullin informed her that the DHS Office of Inspector General was investigating the shooting in cooperation with the FBI.
Security Video Shows Aftermath of Maine Shooting
Security camera footage obtained from a nearby business provided a partial view of the shooting’s aftermath.
The video shows a white vehicle slowly approaching an intersection before making several circles.
A law enforcement SUV then blocks the vehicle’s path.
Two officers are later seen opening the driver’s door and pulling a motionless person from the vehicle.
The footage does not clearly establish when the shots were fired.
Daniel Boucher, who was near the scene, said he heard several popping sounds before running toward the intersection.
Boucher said Durán Guerrero appeared badly injured.
According to Boucher, he heard the driver say that he had tried to stop.
Boucher also recalled the officer involved in the shooting saying the driver had attempted to run him over, though the witness said he could not remember the officer’s exact words.
Those conflicting accounts are likely to become central to the investigation.
Third Man Dies During Immigration Enforcement Encounter
A separate deadly incident unfolded Tuesday in Florida.
Authorities said a 28-year-old man died after being struck by a tractor trailer while running from immigration officers and other federal agents.
The incident marked the third death in roughly a week connected to encounters involving immigration enforcement officers.
The recent deaths have intensified scrutiny of ICE at a time when the agency plays a central role in Trump’s immigration policies.
Critics have pointed to previous deadly incidents involving federal immigration enforcement, including the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota.
The latest shootings have revived concerns about officer training, vehicle-stop procedures and the use of deadly force during immigration operations.
Maine Shooting Becomes Political Issue
The Maine shooting is also quickly becoming part of the state’s political debate.
Democrats seeking to defeat Collins in November have attempted to connect the Republican senator to growing public concern over ICE enforcement methods.
Collins said ICE needs to improve its procedures.
However, she argued that eliminating the agency would make the United States less safe.
The controversy comes as immigration remains one of the country’s most divisive political issues ahead of the elections.
Trump has made aggressive immigration enforcement a defining part of his presidency, while critics argue federal tactics have placed immigrants and U.S. communities at risk.
The suspension of most ICE vehicle stops suggests administration officials are reviewing at least some enforcement practices following the recent deaths.
Durán Guerrero Remembered by Maine Neighbors
Durán Guerrero lived in an apartment approximately 150 feet from where his vehicle eventually stopped.
Neighbors described him as a friendly and familiar presence in the community.
Two immigration advocacy organizations, the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente!, said Durán Guerrero was authorized to work in the United States.
Residents said they frequently saw him near a laundromat and other neighborhood businesses.
Sadie Dilboy and laundromat owner Cory Poulin said Durán Guerrero was well known in the area.
Neighbors remembered seeing him with his young daughter, including moments when he gave her quarters to buy candy.
Claudia Morton, another neighbor who regularly exchanged waves with Durán Guerrero, expressed grief over his death.
Durán Guerrero is survived by his wife and young daughter.
As protests continue and federal and state investigators review the shooting, the Trump administration’s decision to suspend most ICE vehicle stops represents an immediate operational response to a growing controversy surrounding immigration enforcement and deadly force.
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