ICE orders officers to stop vehicle pursuits nationwide amid Houston and Maine shootings

U.S. [Click2Houston]

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has ordered its officers nationwide to halt most vehicle pursuits following two fatal shootings of immigrants by federal agents within nine days, according to multiple Department of Homeland Security officials. Current and former senior officials at DHS confirmed the directive to news organizations, though the agency has not made an official public statement about the policy shift.

The order comes one week after ICE agents fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Houston resident and Mexican citizen, during an enforcement operation on July 7. Federal agents in unmarked vehicles confronted Araujo as he drove members of his construction crew to a worksite in east Houston. The agency said an agent fired in self-defense after Araujo attempted to strike an ICE vehicle and refused orders to stop. However, three passengers in the van contradicted that account, stating that ICE vehicles struck their van first and that agents faced no genuine threat of being struck. The Harris County District Attorney's Office opened an independent investigation and appealed to the public for video evidence or other materials that could clarify what transpired.

Less than a week later, ICE agents shot and killed a 26-year-old Colombian man during a vehicle stop in Biddeford, Maine. According to DHS, the man attempted to flee after agents tried to stop the vehicle during a surveillance operation. An ICE officer fired after determining there was a threat to public safety. Immigrant advocacy organizations have demanded explanations and staged demonstrations in response to the shooting.

The temporary suspension will exclude cases involving serious criminal suspects and will remain in effect while officers receive additional training on conducting vehicle stops. A judicial warrant is not required for ICE to perform such stops, and the agency has relied heavily on vehicle pursuits as an enforcement tool, particularly under the Trump administration's push for increased arrests and deportations. Federal statistics show ICE arrested more than 10,000 people over five days in late June as part of the administration's deportation initiatives.

The policy adjustment, though significant in scope, has not satisfied some Democratic lawmakers. "A temporary training won't solve a deeply ingrained problem," said Rep. Christian Menefee of Houston. "ICE has been radicalized. Its agents have shot and killed unarmed people across the country. The agency needs to be torn down to the studs."

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, indicated she pushed for the measure following the Biddeford shooting. "While the investigation of the Biddeford shooting is not yet complete, it raises sufficient critical questions that I spoke with DHS Secretary Mullin last night and urged him to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops," she wrote on social media.

The precise timing of when the directive took effect remains unclear, and it is uncertain whether the measure will become permanent policy. The White House deferred questions about the vehicle stop suspension to DHS, which has not responded to inquiries.