ICE Traffic Stops Resume Following Brief Suspension Under Trump Administration
Policy Reversal Allows Vehicle Stops to Continue
Trump overturns temporary pause on ICE traffic – According to sources with knowledge of internal discussions, President Donald Trump has reversed the decision to temporarily suspend U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement traffic stops, permitting these operations to begin once again. This development follows Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s earlier instruction to halt such stops, as reported by a law enforcement source to ABC News on Tuesday.
A senior ICE official communicated through an email to deportation officers that the vehicle stops were suspended “immediately,” based on the email text examined by ABC News. The official’s message instructed all personnel to “prioritize other existing operational methods, outside of vehicle stops, to conduct immigration enforcement activities.”
Multiple sources indicated that the suspension was meant to be brief and that ICE officers would undergo additional training regarding vehicle stops. Furthermore, one source revealed that ICE officers may still perform certain vehicle stops during the pause period, provided they are accompanied by a local law enforcement officer who is trained to conduct vehicle stops and collaborates with ICE through the agency’s 287(g) program.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle in St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 8, 2026. Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Recent Maine Shooting Prompts Review
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson informed ABC News that the agency would not “disclose or discuss law enforcement tactics,” but emphasized that it is “always evaluating our procedures to keep our officers safe and criminals off our streets.”
On Monday, 25-year-old Johan Sebastián Guerrero was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Biddeford, Maine, after agents attempted to stop the car he was driving, according to Sen. Angus King, I-Maine. Guerrero, a Colombian national, was not the intended target of the operation, and ICE agents had received a final order for another individual to be removed from the United States, King told ABC News.
An ICE spokesperson stated that the agency was “conducting targeted surveillance on the last known address of an illegal alien with a final order of removal,” and when an “illegal alien departed the residence in a vehicle,” ICE agents “attempted to conduct a vehicle stop.” The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and fearing for public safety an officer discharged his weapon, ICE said. The Maine Attorney General’s Office said “the suspect attempted to flee in the vehicle in the direction of the officer and was fatally shot.”
Border Czar Confirms Temporary Nature of Pause
In an interview on Fox News, border czar Tom Homan confirmed the temporary pause and stated that DHS will examine the recent incidents. “It is not a policy change, it is a temporary pause,” Homan said. “Look – last couple of shootings, ICE leadership along with DHS wants to look at these last couple incidents and look, is there something that could have been done better? Is there any training that could be improved? Or simply is ICE doing their job and bad things happen when people don’t comply with law enforcement officers? I think it going to be a short pause and I am confident that ICE is well trained in vehicle stops and you’re going to see us keep moving forward.”
Witness Daniel Boucher told ABC News that he watched agents pull the shooting victim from his car and put him on the ground. “I heard the young man say, ‘I tried to stop.’ I clearly heard him say that,” said Boucher, adding that he overheard one of the ICE agents allegedly say the driver tried to run him over.
Law enforcement respond to a shooting on Pool Street in Biddeford, Maine, July 13, 2026. Obtained by ABC News
