ICE pause on vehicle stops follows fatal shootings in Maine, Texas

A tactical pause after two deadly encounters

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told officers Tuesday to suspend most vehicle stops nationwide after agents fatally shot men during enforcement operations in Maine and Texas six days apart, according to reports citing people briefed on the directive.bbc +1 The move came one day after an ICE officer killed 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, while agents were surveilling an address tied to someone else with a final removal order.bbc A separate July 7 stop in Houston ended with the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, who also was not the target of the operation.nypost +1

The halt appears temporary and limited. Reports said exceptions may remain for serious criminal targets or stops involving criminal warrants and partner agencies, while ICE prepares additional training on vehicle-stop tactics.nst DHS declined to discuss the operational change in detail, saying it is “always evaluating” procedures to keep officers safe and criminals off the streets.nypost

The Maine shooting sharpened demands for scrutiny

DHS said the Biddeford officer opened fire because the vehicle attempted to flee and the officer was “fearing for public safety,” but officials have not publicly explained the specific threat.bbc Reuters reported that ICE policy allows deadly force only in cases of imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death, not solely to stop a fleeing suspect.bbc Sen. Angus King said the agents were not wearing body cameras, and the Maine attorney general’s office is investigating alongside federal and local authorities.bbc

Sen. Susan Collins said she urged Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to stop non-urgent vehicle stops, saying the Biddeford shooting raised “sufficient critical questions.”[0] Witness Daniel Boucher told Reuters he heard Guerrero say, “But I tried to stop,” after the shooting; PBS and ABC reported similar witness accounts from the scene.bbc

A core enforcement tactic is under pressure

Vehicle stops have been a common way for ICE officers to make civil immigration arrests away from homes and workplaces, where entry can require a judicial warrant.nst The pause could therefore slow arrests at a moment when the Trump administration has pushed ICE to increase deportations, with Reuters reporting that ICE arrests in Maine rose to about 70 per day in early July.bbc

The Texas and Maine deaths also fit a broader pattern that has drawn scrutiny from advocates and lawmakers. BBC reported that at least seven people have been killed in immigration enforcement operations since January 2025, while The Register-Guard cited separate reporting that the latest Maine case was among 21 shootings linked to the deportation crackdown.nypost For now, the immediate consequence is a rare nationwide pullback from a tactic ICE agents and critics alike describe as central to the agency’s field operations.nst +1