President Donald Trump directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to resume vehicle stops after a one-day pause. The move followed two fatal shootings involving ICE officers during traffic stops in Houston and Maine. Federal agents expressed relief at the reversal.
The pause was ordered after an incident in Houston where ICE said a Mexican man weaponized his vehicle against officers and a separate case in Biddeford, Maine, where an officer shot a 26-year-old Colombian man who attempted to flee. Both shootings remain under investigation.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday morning opposing the halt. He said the policy change played into criminals’ hands and urged officers to resume the tactic, which he called one of ICE’s most important crime-fighting tools. Multiple ICE sources told The Daily Wire they faced difficulties making arrests without traffic stops and welcomed the change.
Border czar Tom Homan said Tuesday that the pause was temporary and credited Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin with the decision. A White House official confirmed Trump had overturned the freeze, though ICE sources said they had not yet received formal orders to resume the practice. Mullin stated the department’s priority remained officer safety amid a reported rise in vehicle attacks.
