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US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been instructed to largely suspend vehicle stops until further notice, following two deadly encounters where ICE officers shot people in their cars over the last week.
This decision marks a significant reversal in recent tactics and applies to agents under Enforcement and Removal Operations, the branch responsible for arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants.
The guidance directs officers to use alternative methods for general immigration enforcement and to coordinate with partner agencies when executing a criminal warrant on a person in a vehicle.
The move comes after ICE agents shot and killed two individuals, Lorenzo Sagrado Araujo in Houston, Texas, and Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, during vehicle stops.
The shootings have raised concerns about the use of force by ICE agents and the need for accountability, particularly with regards to the use of body cameras.
According to reports, the ICE agents involved in the Maine shooting were not wearing body cameras, despite DHS officials previously stating their intention to expand body cam usage.
The decision to suspend traffic stops has been welcomed by some, including Republican Maine Senator Susan Collins, who urged DHS Secretary Mullin to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops following the Biddeford shooting.
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Source: Jalopnik (Auto Culture & Tuning) (jalopnik.com)