U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has suspended the use of non-urgent traffic stops nationwide following two deadly shootings in Texas and Maine. Federal immigration officials have been instructed to stop pulling over vehicles until further notice, representing a major reversal of the Trump administration’s mass deportation strategy.
The policy shift follows the deaths of Joan Sebastian Guerrero and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who were killed by agents in separate incidents six days apart. In Biddeford, Maine, an officer opened fire on a 26-year-old Colombian driver who had permission to work in the U.S., claiming the car was a threat. The Department of Homeland Security reported that neither the victim in Maine nor the one in Houston, Texas, was a target of enforcement operations.
These fatalities have prompted calls for independent investigations. Since January 2025, at least seven people have been shot dead during immigration enforcement operations since Trump returned to office, with some reports citing this as the ninth death tied to the migration crackdown.
While the general pause on vehicle stops is in effect, some instructions indicate that certain stops may still be allowed to target the most egregious criminal aliens.