U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has temporarily suspended most vehicle stops nationwide while officers receive additional tactical training, but agents may continue using the tactic in operations targeting serious criminal aliens and suspects covered by judicial warrants, CBS News reported, citing multiple law enforcement sources.
Reuters separately confirmed the Tuesday directive with two sources briefed on the matter.
The restriction applies to ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division, which handles civil immigration arrests and removals. It does not apply to Homeland Security Investigations, the agency’s criminal investigative division.
ERO officers may still conduct vehicle stops in cases involving serious criminal targets. They may also join partner agencies in operations against suspects who are the subjects of judicial warrants, CBS News reported.
Temporary pause includes additional training
The restriction is temporary while ERO officers receive additional training on vehicle-stop tactics. ICE has not announced when most vehicle stops will resume.
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said in a Tuesday statement that she asked Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to stop non-urgent vehicle stops after Monday’s fatal shooting in Biddeford, Maine.
“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,” Collins said.
An ICE spokesperson did not directly confirm the internal directive.
“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,” the spokesperson told Reuters.
Texas and Maine shootings draw scrutiny
An ICE officer fatally shot Colombian national Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero on Monday after agents attempted to stop his vehicle in Biddeford. DHS said agents had been watching the last known address of an illegal alien with a final order of removal, but Durán Guerrero was not the target of the operation, CBS News reported.
“The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon,” DHS said.
The Maine Attorney General’s Office said initial statements indicated the driver attempted to flee toward an ERO officer. The office is investigating with local, state and federal authorities and said the officer would be placed on leave under standard protocol.
Six days earlier, an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a July 7 vehicle stop in Houston. DHS said officers initiated the stop after seeing a white van and a person who resembled the target they were seeking. A DHS official later said Salgado Araujo was not the target.
DHS alleged Salgado Araujo rammed a law enforcement vehicle and tried to run over an officer, prompting the officer to fire in self-defense. Three passengers in the van have disputed that account through an attorney.
ICE has commonly used vehicle stops to arrest targets outside residences and workplaces, CBS News reported. ICE has not disclosed how long the restriction will remain in place.
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