In an extremely controversial move, ICE is putting a pause on one of the agency’s most effective immigration enforcement tactics.
Under orders from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, ICE agents have been forced to halt the majority of vehicle and traffic stops — at least for now.
BREAKING: ICE instructed to end most vehicle stops for foreseeable future, federal sources tell @BillMelugin_
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 14, 2026
This policy change comes in response to two illegal immigrants being shot within the last week by ICE agents in incidents that began as vehicle stops.
Reportedly, the freeze on “non-urgent” vehicle stops will remain in effect until ICE agents are given new training.
CBS News reported:
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been instructed to immediately suspend most vehicle stops during enforcement operations nationwide, except in cases involving serious criminal targets, following fatal shootings in Texas and Maine over the last week, multiple law enforcement sources told CBS News.
The directive applies to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, the division responsible for civil immigration arrests and removals, but not Homeland Security Investigations, which primarily handles criminal investigations, according to sources. It is a temporary pause while Enforcement and Removal Operations officers receive additional training on vehicle-stop tactics, the sources said.
In the interim, ERO officers can still participate in operations involving vehicle stops when working with partner law enforcement agencies targeting criminal suspects who are the subject of judicial warrants, sources said.
The policy shift could have significant operational impacts. Vehicle stops have been a common tactic in ICE enforcement operations under the Trump administration, allowing officers to identify, follow and arrest targeted individuals away from homes or workplaces.
Notably, in both of these recent “ICE-involved shootings,” agents were put into situations by illegal aliens where they feared for their lives.
Surveillance footage captured the incident in Maine on camera:
Newly released security video captures the moment an ICE immigration enforcement operation in Biddeford, Maine turns deadly.
The Department of Homeland Security says agents were conducting surveillance at the home of a person with a final order of removal when they tried to stop… pic.twitter.com/k1yU4EfJTe
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 14, 2026
Newly released security video captures the moment an ICE immigration enforcement operation in Biddeford, Maine turns deadly.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Department of Homeland Security says agents were conducting surveillance at the home of a person with a final order of removal when they tried to stop a vehicle leaving the property.
DHS says the driver attempted to flee, and an ICE officer, “fearing for public safety,” opened fire, killing the driver.
The Daily Wire broke down the recent shootings further:
The pause comes a day after a 26-year-old Colombian man was fatally shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers as they were trying to pull over his vehicle in Biddeford, Maine.
Maine Sen. Angus King (I-ME) said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him the man who was shot was not the person ICE was trying to arrest, according to CNN. King was walking back a previous statement where he claimed that Mullin said the deceased man was ICE’s target.
In a statement Monday, ICE said the driver, who was shot and killed, “attempted to flee” and that the officer who fired their weapon was “fearing for public safety.”
“The driver of the vehicle was struck, and emergency services were immediately contacted. He passed away from his injuries,” ICE said.
Unlike during prior traffic stops-turned-shootings, ICE did not claim that the man shot and killed by officers tried to hit them with his vehicle, and emphasized that the incident is still under investigation. The deceased man’s identity has yet to be released.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Biddeford Police Department and the FBI responded to the scene, while DHS’ Office of Inspector General was “notified” of the incident, ICE said.
“This is a developing situation, and we will update the public when more information is available,” ICE said.
Last Tuesday, an ICE officer in Houston fatally shot Mexican illegal immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo while conducting a vehicle stop. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Araujo wasn’t their original target, but claimed that he “weaponized” his vehicle and tried to run over an officer, prompting one to fire “in self-defense.”
Maine Sen. Susan Collins revealed that she pushed Secretary Mullin to temporarily pause the vehicle stops, after the latest ICE shooting incident took place in her state.
Read her full statement here:
I spoke with DHS Secretary Mullin last night and urged him to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops in the wake of yesterday’s deadly Biddeford shooting. I am encouraged that the Department has agreed to do so.
An impartial investigation into the shooting in Biddeford needs to… https://t.co/MQfRV8xuvZ
— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) July 14, 2026
I spoke with DHS Secretary Mullin last night and urged him to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops in the wake of yesterday’s deadly Biddeford shooting. I am encouraged that the Department has agreed to do so.
An impartial investigation into the shooting in Biddeford needs to proceed, as the details surrounding this tragedy are important. It is extremely unfortunate that the agent involved did not have a body-worn camera. In April, measures that I authored in the Homeland Security funding bill became law, including $20 million for expanded use of body-worn cameras, $2 million for de-escalation training, and a 17% increase in the independent Office of Inspector General’s budget to investigate matters such as this shooting. The Democratic government shutdown delayed enactment and implementation of these important safety measures.
While it is clear ICE needs to improve its performance, it is important to remember that the work ICE does to protect our country goes far beyond immigration enforcement. ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is tasked with combating cartels, human smuggling, child exploitation, forced labor, and more. Eliminating ICE would make our country less safe and endanger the lives and welfare of countless individuals.
Of course, this policy change will likely cause ICE arrests to drop dramatically — at least for a short time.
Bill Melugin from Fox News shared some worries being expressed by ICE agents:
In speaking with numerous ICE sources today, most are expressing frustration that this will cause their arrest numbers to fall off a cliff while in effect. A large majority of their arrests involve vehicle stops. They will now largely have to rely on court arrests, detainer… https://t.co/wQFjXQmozD
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) July 14, 2026
In speaking with numerous ICE sources today, most are expressing frustration that this will cause their arrest numbers to fall off a cliff while in effect. A large majority of their arrests involve vehicle stops. They will now largely have to rely on court arrests, detainer transfers, USCIS interviews, or “consensual encounters”/roving patrols on foot to make arrests in bigger numbers.
ICE prefers to target people in their vehicles instead of their homes because homes require a judicial warrant to enter and vehicles are considered safer (someone can run into a home and grab a weapon etc) and targets can be followed to public areas where warrants aren’t required.
In all the ICE embeds I’ve done over the years, I would say 90% + of the targets were arrested in vehicle stops, though, they were egregious aliens (murderers, rapists etc), and those vehicle stops are still allowed to continue for now. This will have a bigger impact on targets in the U.S. illegally who have committed no other crimes.
Amid plenty of concerns about the adverse impact this policy change may have on deportation numbers, Border Czar Tom Homan is firing back.
Watch what he had to say about it in this clip:
🚨 BREAKING: Border Czar Tom Homan announces the freeze on ICE performing immigration vehicle stops is only a "TEMPORARY PAUSE" — he says illegal alien arrests will not be impacted
"I hear a LOT of noise this right now: 'This is gonna effect ICE arrests.' It's NOT going to!"… pic.twitter.com/gE6UI0blh5
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 14, 2026
BREAKING: Border Czar Tom Homan announces the freeze on ICE performing immigration vehicle stops is only a “TEMPORARY PAUSE” — he says illegal alien arrests will not be impacted
“I hear a LOT of noise this right now: ‘This is gonna effect ICE arrests.’ It’s NOT going to!”
Homan says ICE will continue targeting the same illegals, just before or after they leave or reach the destination
“It’s gonna be a SHORT pause. I’m confident ICE is well-trained. You’ll see us keep moving forward. This is just a temporary pause.”
What are your thoughts?
Do you believe temporarily halting ICE vehicle stops is a necessary move?
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!