U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has reportedly instructed officers to temporarily pause most traffic stops following two recent fatal shootings involving agency personnel, though the agency has declined to publicly confirm the reported change in enforcement tactics.
According to sources who spoke with NewsNation, the pause on traffic stops has been implemented nationwide. Other news outlets similarly reported that ICE has directed agents to suspend most vehicle stops while still allowing certain exceptions involving specific categories of offenders.
Despite the reports, ICE stopped short of confirming whether such a directive has been issued.
In a statement, the agency said it continuously reviews its procedures but would not discuss specific operational methods.
“We are always evaluating our procedures to keep our officers safe and criminals off our streets. We will not disclose or discuss law enforcement tactics,” ICE said.
If implemented, the reported change would represent a notable adjustment to how the agency carries out arrests, particularly amid increasing scrutiny over enforcement operations.
The reported shift comes as ICE has faced growing pressure to reconsider some of its arrest practices following two separate fatal incidents during vehicle stops.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Tuesday that she had personally urged Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mullin to modify the agency’s approach.
Her comments came after two high-profile shootings involving ICE officers over the past week.
The first occurred in Houston, Texas, where agents shot and killed Lorenzo Sagrado Araujo during a traffic stop.
According to ICE, Araujo had weaponized the vehicle he was driving during the encounter. However, other men who were riding in the van disputed that account. They said the allegation was false and claimed officers driving unmarked vehicles followed them before surrounding the van from both the driver’s and passenger’s sides.
A second fatal encounter occurred Monday in Biddeford, Maine, where ICE agents shot and killed Joan Sebastian Guerrero.
Approximately 12 hours after the shooting, ICE released a statement describing its version of events.
According to the agency, Guerrero fled the scene during the encounter, creating what ICE characterized as a public safety threat. The agency said that threat prompted an officer to open fire.
The circumstances surrounding the Biddeford shooting remain under investigation.
Following that incident, Collins said she contacted Homeland Security Secretary Mullin to urge changes in the agency’s enforcement practices while the facts surrounding the shooting continue to be examined.
“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,” Collins said.
Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security has publicly confirmed whether the reported pause applies to all routine traffic stops or only to certain categories of enforcement activity.
The agency has also not detailed what types of offenders, if any, would remain subject to vehicle stops under the reported temporary policy.
For now, ICE is maintaining that it routinely evaluates procedures designed to balance officer safety with public safety but will not publicly disclose operational tactics.
The reported pause comes as the agency continues to face questions over its arrest methods and the circumstances surrounding the recent fatal shootings in Texas and Maine. While outside reports indicate ICE has temporarily altered its approach to traffic stops, the agency itself has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of a nationwide directive, instead emphasizing that it does not comment on law enforcement tactics.
