U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reversed a directive that would have halted vehicle stops by its agents, a policy change that was confirmed by a White House official following criticism from former President Donald Trump. The swift reversal came less than a day after ICE agents were instructed to cease engaging in vehicle stops.
The initial directive targeted agents within Enforcement and Removal Operations, the ICE branch responsible for apprehending and deporting undocumented immigrants. The policy aimed to pause specific types of stops, though exceptions were to be made for agents executing criminal warrants on individuals inside vehicles.
The decision to pause the stops was reportedly influenced by a request from Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. Collins had urged Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to halt "non-violent traffic stops" following a shooting incident in Biddeford, Maine. That incident involved ICE agents and resulted in the death of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national who was not the target of the warrant. The investigation into that shooting remains ongoing.
Shortly after the White House confirmed the walk-back of the policy, Secretary Mullin reposted Trump's statement on Truth Social, emphasizing that apprehending criminals and removing them from streets remains ICE's primary objective. Trump had publicly urged ICE to "be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job. Keep those Crime Stat Records coming!"