The Trump administration has ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to suspend most vehicle stops after two deadly shootings within a week. The policy change was announced after an ICE officer shot and killed a Colombian driver in Maine and a week after one shot and killed a motorist in Houston.
Background
The suspension of vehicle stops allows room for exceptions when executing a criminal warrant or working with partner agencies. Hundreds of people in Maine protested the fatal shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian national.
Durán Guerrero’s shooting marked at least the ninth time ICE has used deadly force since Trump began his immigration crackdown. The incident has sparked outrage in Maine, with many calling for a comprehensive investigation into the shooting.
Maine’s congressional delegation has demanded a ‘comprehensive, transparent, and expedited investigation’ into the shooting. The state’s attorney general’s office is working with federal agencies to investigate the incident.
Reaction
Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro called the shooting a ‘targeted killing’ and urged Trump to provide an explanation. Petro accused ICE officers of treating Durán Guerrero as ‘an inferior being without rights.’
The shooting has also sparked a debate about the use of force by ICE officers. Border Czar Tom Homan said the investigation needs to play out and that if officers acted inappropriately or illegally, they will be held accountable.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
