U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has halted most non-urgent vehicle stops nationwide following two deadly shootings by its agents in less than a week.
The policy shift took effect immediately after an agent fatally shot a 26-year-old Colombian national during a traffic stop in Biddeford, Maine, on July 13. A similar incident occurred the previous week in Houston, where agents shot Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed the change to lawmakers including Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King. The pause will continue until new guidance is approved, with limited exceptions allowed when agents hold a criminal warrant.
Neither shooting involved body camera footage, and the agency has provided no video evidence to support its claims that the drivers posed an imminent threat. Senators from both parties have called for full investigations into the incidents.
