White House Orders ICE to Halt Vehicle Stops After Fatal Shootings

The Trump administration has ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to suspend most vehicle stops during nationwide operations.

The directive follows two separate incidents over the past week in which federal agents shot and killed individuals during attempted traffic stops.

Escalating Fatalities

The administrative freeze comes after ICE officers fatally shot a Mexican immigrant in Houston and a Colombian national in Biddeford, Maine.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed both fatalities occurred as agents attempted to intercept the victims' vehicles.

In Houston, federal agents killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant who had resided in the U.S. for more than three decades.

Although authorities initially claimed Araujo was the intended target of the operation, officials later acknowledged he was shot while driving to work with three passengers and was not the suspect sought.

The second fatal shooting, occurring early Monday in Maine, claimed the life of Joan Sebastian Guerrero, a Colombian citizen. Homeland Security officials have not clarified whether Guerrero was the individual the agents were actively seeking.

Contested Narratives

While federal authorities claimed both men attempted to flee the traffic stops, no video or supporting evidence has been provided to verify these accounts.

Previous enforcement actions have seen official accounts contradicted by subsequent video footage.

In Minneapolis, a federal agent faces state criminal charges after firing on a Venezuelan immigrant during a prior operation.

That Minneapolis crackdown in January also resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

A local county prosecutor announced Monday that the Justice Department finally turned over evidence to state investigators after months of administrative stonewalling.

Political Backlash

The recent fatalities have drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers, complicating the administration's broader push for mass deportations.

Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, demanded answers regarding the Biddeford shooting and confirmed she pressed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to "cease all non-urgent vehicle stops."

The White House referred inquiries to ICE, which declined to comment on specific law enforcement tactics.

Enforcement Pressures

White House border czar Tom Homan sought to minimize the impact of the policy change, characterizing the directive as a temporary safety measure.

“It’s a short pause just to make sure we’re doing the right thing,” Homan said in an interview with Fox News. “Operations continue. Arrests are at record numbers. Deportations are at record numbers.”

Since January 2025, federal immigration agents have opened fire on at least 22 people, resulting in six deaths, including three U.S. citizens.

Nearly all of these incidents involved officers discharging firearms into moving vehicles.