A federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent has defended the agency's controversial vehicle stop tactic, asserting that it is a safer and more effective method for apprehending individuals targeted for deportation compared to home or street apprehensions. The agent, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that these stops allow more time for identification and crucially, decrease so-called "collateral" arrests.
Collateral arrests occur when immigration officers apprehend individuals who were not the primary target of an operation but are found to be in the country illegally. "[Vehicle stops] lead to a higher success rate in apprehending the target that they [ICE officers] are looking for and not getting the collateral," the agent explained. "The collateral is the person that we’re not looking for, but we encounter, and they deem them as having no legal presence and/or illegal; therefore, they are going to have an admin arrest done on them."
Recent events, including two officer-involved shootings in a single week, led to an initial directive for agents nationwide to pause vehicle stops. However, President Donald Trump quickly overruled this guidance, calling vehicle stops "one of ICE's most important and effective Crime Fighting tools."
Simon Hankinson, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, echoed the agent's sentiments, emphasizing the growing importance of vehicle stops due to operational risks associated with home visits. "When you have to go to someone's house, we've seen how difficult that can be if they don't want you in. You need warrants, and if you're breaking down doors, chances of somebody getting hurt are significantly higher," Hankinson said. He added that the goal is to apprehend individuals in the "calmest, quietest, safest manner possible."
Hankinson also criticized groups he believes are using concerns about safety to advocate for an end to all enforcement operations. "If we were able to carry out deportations in 100% perfect safety and security, they would still oppose it," he stated.
The agent described vehicle stops as a "daily" part of ICE operations and a vital "tool in the toolbox" for federal officers. They noted that Trump's reversal of the pause was a significant morale boost for ICE officers. Despite the directive to resume, new training on vehicle stops and responding to dangerous situations is being implemented for many officers. The agent expressed a desire for "even more training for officers on vehicle stops," particularly given increased public scrutiny.
"Any time you take a tool out of the toolbox, it is going to create challenges for [agents] to do their job in a more efficient way," the agent said. Without vehicle stops, agents might encounter targets on the street who could flee before apprehension. "We'd have to hope he stops or, God forbid, he crashes into something and causes property and/or bodily harm to someone else, a third party."
The agent concluded by emphasizing a desire for safety for all involved: "I don’t want to hurt anyone; I really don’t. I think any sane person would be in agreement with me to say, ‘Hey, let's look at how we can do this safer for everybody."